The sandy lake has lots of sharp dropoffs and submerged islands. Find these spots and you'll often find the fish.

Like other large lakes, this one is one of the last to freeze up because of its size. The lake attracts a lot of geese in the winter, which prevent the lake from freezing up quicker.

"Some years, it takes a lot of cold weather to ice this one up," said Neil Ledet, a state fisheries biologist.

While it may be big, the Steuben County lake, east of the town of Fremont, isn't that hard to figure out.

Rainbow trout might offer the lake's best fishing in the summer, but during the winter months, bluegills and smallmouth bass are the best biters.

There's a large, shallow flat that extends from the roundabout point on the east side of the lake. This is considered the top bluegill spot during the winter. Bluegills at Clear Lake get up over 10 inches. Sometimes, anglers can get into a mess of the larger ones.

"You don't have that on many of our lakes," biologist Ledet said.

The smallmouths usually show up in the shallow rocks on the north end of the far west bay, known as Marina Bay. Ledet recommends finding the green leftover vegetation in this spot.

This is also where a lot of the larger bluegills are taken.

"There's deep water in that bay, but it shallows up to 6 feet deep," he said. "When you hit the big ones there, it can't be beat. But guys are going to make three or four trips before that happens."

So be patient.

Another species worth targeting are walleyes, Ledet said. The species has been stocked at Clear since the mid- 1970s. The walleye fishery goes through good and bad phases that last about three years each.

"We're into good fishing right now," Ledet said. "It's one of the longest-running natural lake walleye stockings we have in the state."

There's an island on the south end of the lake that often produces northern pike early and late in the ice-fishing season with large roaches under a tip-up. There's a steep drop- off on the southern tip of that island. Walleyes and pike both relate to this spot. This break is not unlike other breaks that occur along the south shore. This spot shouldn't be ignored for both walleyes and northern pike during the winter.

One problem with Clear Lake is access. The only public access site is on the southeastern end of the lake. There are only 20 spots there and you'll have to walk clear across the lake to get to any of the spots mentioned above.

But when the bite is on, it's worth it.

The average depth of the lake is 12 to 14 feet deep, so its shallow water allows it to freeze quickly.

"Whenever the ice starts forming, you're a week or so ahead of the other lakes," said local angler Delmas Davis. "Sometimes the ice stays solid longer than the other lakes, too."

Known for its out-of-hand algae blooms in the summer, the split-pea soup effect is a passing thought during the winter, especially when panfish get on a tear. And Shipshewana Lake is also one of the most productive fisheries in the area.

"You can catch a ton," Davis said, laughing.

While largemouth bass are present, crappies and bluegills are the most common catches.

"Crappies are tops," said Davis, who frequently gets his limit of the speckled white and black panfish.

Crappies here are like anywhere else - better biters at night and in low-light conditions. The favored crappie rig is pretty common, too.

"Just a little teardrop jig with a little wax worm is about as good as anything you'll want to use," Davis said.

While Shipshewana is known for its numbers of crappies, the fish aren't known for being big. Most papermouths will run from 8 to 10 inches.

"Sometimes one will reach 11 inches," Davis said.

And last year, Davis noted another emerging fishery. Yellow perch up to 13 inches also had a substantial bite early in the season.

"We did real good on them," Davis said. The perch were best in front of the public access ramp in the southeast corner of the lake. Davis used mostly wax worms and minnows.

As the season progresses, Davis will usually move toward the north end of the lake, eventually ending up in front of the beach and church campground. Most of his crappie and bluegill action is in 7 to 10 feet of water.

Davis said he always looks for white ice, especially during brighter days.

"Fish under there," he said, noting how sensitive fish can be during the day. "The sun's rays don't penetrate through white ice as much."