CLAM LAKE AND LITTLE CLAM AND CLAM RIVER

[packman]

LOOKING FOR SOME INFO ON WERE TO FIND SOME FISH BRONZE BACKS AND MUSKY ON EITHER OF THESE LAKES DONT NEED HOT SPOTS BUT DEPTHS WOULD BE HELPFUL I WILL BE THERE IN JULY

[mudman]

I am pretty sure neither of those species exist on the clam, I could be wrong I can alway be wrong.

[nolte]

Skis aren't in the clams that I know of, plenty of Pike though. To get into the smallies you have to go into the river. It is easier to go out the river with a boat on little clam. I think you can motor up all the way to the dam. Good smallies all along there. Plus it's good in a canoe from the Dam all the way to Meenon Park. On big clam you can go upstream into the river but I haven't fished that way, only duck hunted. Lots of rice and swamp that way.

[mpester]

Nolte - My in-laws have a house on Big Clam. I keep thinking about duck hunting that lake in the fall. I have not seen a lot of ducks on the lake in the last few years so I have not tried. Do you get many ducks on the south end of Big Clam? The pressure seems low but that may be because the ducks do not seem to use the lake a lot. What types of ducks do you see the most?

About the fishing... I have not hooked any smallmouth bass in either lake or in the river and I do not think the lake has any muskies. The largemouth bass are good sized as are the gills and crappies. Small pike are all over the lake and you can get some good sized ones. You can hook into a HUGE catfish now and then. I hooked one on a tip-up last winter that was too fat to get up an 8" hole.

This weekend, I am going to make an effort to catch a walleye out of this lake. The mother in-law says they are around and so does Big Mike but I have not hooked one yet. The few photos Big Mike has in his shop of walleyes are all 5 pound plus but the population seems very low. I wish some of those 5 pound plus walleyes were released to spawn.

[nolte]

The duck hunting on clam can be good, although it hasn't been for a bit now. At least not for me. It's just like all duck hunting in WI, hit or miss bad. The ducks I've seen out there are mostly mallards, wood ducks early, teal early, and ringbills. I did see a pretty Drake Can out there a few years back but he was hanging out with a couple hundred coot.

Walleyes are in there but pretty scattered. I would try the sand by the narrows, or under the bridge. Also the river channel on the little lake. Maybe the one deep hole in the Big Lake. It's definately not a numbers game most of the time. I've only got a few out there and mostly through the ice. As for Big Mike, he is a good friend of the family and according to him the fish are always biting.

I hear you about letting those big girls go, but don't hold your breath about it happening. I haven't kept a 20+ inch fish for a long time and everybody I know thinks I'm nuts when I do. People don't realize if you let a few of them go there might be more to catch. It's hard to justify that though when you go out and only catch an eye or two. One under 15 and one 20+ I guarantee the 20 is coming home to the frying pan for 99% of the people in the county.

[mpester]

I think I may stick to hunting my normal areas.

I did not do very good fishing in Clam Lake this weekend. I did a lot better on two small lakes near by. I fished Pokegama and Taylor Lake to the east of Clam this weekend and did well on crappies and bluegills. Also got a few nice bass in Pokegama. Both lakes are nice and quiet even on a holiday weekend. I look forward to hitting these two lakes in the winter.