Minnesota · Crow Wing County

Clear Lake Fishing guide

Clear Lake covers 226 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, reaching 63 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 17.5 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 63 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface226 ac

Max depth63 ft

Clarity17.5 ft

Littoral26%

Surveyed2023

How to fish Clear Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 17.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
Summer: Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. On a lake that drops to 63 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 17.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
Summer: Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. On a lake that drops to 63 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Northern pike	Largemouth bass
2023	13"	27"	12"
2022	28"	28"	18"
2016	30"	34"	18"
2004	31"	37"	20"
2000	26"	35"	17"
1995	24"	37"	8"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

Shop creature baits →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DNR stocking records

Stocking history

Year	Species	Stocked
2025	Walleye	240 fingerlings · 88 yearlings
2023	Walleye	1,180 fingerlings
2021	Walleye	1,180 fingerlings
2019	Walleye	1,003 fingerlings
2017	Walleye	177 yearlings

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2023 survey

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Clear Lake was conducted on June 12-14, 2023, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at ten sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations, a 15-foot seine was used at one station, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured seventeen species of fish including eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish).

A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured eleven species of fish, including one that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Bluegill, Bowfin, and Hybrid Sunfish comprised a majority by biomass.

Read the full DNR narrative

The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a June 2022 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Least Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Results from this survey indicate that the fish community in Clear Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. These results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Pine River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Temperature-dissolved oxygen profiles were also collected in the deepest basins on Clear Lake on August 1st, 2023, to evaluate the amount of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee. Based on the profile from the deepest basin, the top of the thermocline (i.e., the location in the water column with the sharpest transition from warm to cold water) occurred at approximately 20 feet. Dissolved oxygen decreased to below 3.0 mg/L at 20.6 feet, which was within the thermocline, at the time of sampling. The temperature at which dissolved oxygen decreased to below 3.0 mg/L (i.e., TDO3, a single variable to characterize oxythermal habitat) was 17.6°C (63.7°F).

TDO3 values cooler than 21.5°C indicate that oxythermal conditions are favorable for Cisco. Dissolved oxygen concentrations near the thermocline indicate that oxythermal habitat was adequate for Cisco at limited depths at the time of sampling during the summer of 2023. However, low dissolved oxygen concentrations (i.e., less than 3 mg/L) below the thermocline and warm surface temperatures would likely limit available Cisco habitat within the water column to an extent. When inadequate oxythermal habitat is available, Cisco are squeezed into unfavorable, warmer water conditions and therefore experience higher levels of stress.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Clear Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Clear Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Crow Wing County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Clear Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Clear Lake depth map

Clear Lake depth contour map, Crow Wing County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 63 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Grass Lake · 46 ac · 0.9 mi
Strawberry Lake · 20 ac · 1 mi
Ossawinnamakee Lake · 711 ac · 1.4 mi
Kimball Lake · 190 ac · 1.5 mi
Clamshell Lake · 211 ac · 1.6 mi
Bertha Lake · 337 ac · 1.6 mi
Bass Lake · 121 ac · 2.4 mi
Star Lake · 128 ac · 3 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Clear Lake?

Clear Lake reaches 63 ft at its deepest point; about 26% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Clear Lake?

Clear Lake covers 226 acres with about 3.5 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Clear Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Clear Lake average 17.5 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Clear Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Clear Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.

Does Clear Lake have a public access?

Yes. Clear Lake has one public access site: Clear Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Clear Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 28"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1995.

When was Clear Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Clear Lake in 2023, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Clear Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Clear Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report