Minnesota · Le Sueur County
Clear Lake Fishing guide
Clear Lake covers 279 acres in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, reaching 18 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 4.2 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 9 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeLast stocked 2024Fair numbers7.4per gill net27"Typical36"Biggest
Lengths measured · 40 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 40 fish
2024Lengths measured · 34 fish
2018Lengths measured · 39 fish
2013Lengths measured · 19 fish
2004BluegillOne of the best around83.6per trap net6"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 873 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 873 fish
2024Lengths measured · 251 fish
2018Lengths measured · 225 fish
2013Lengths measured · 1184 fish
2004CrappieJust a few5.9per trap net7"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 160 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 160 fish
2024Lengths measured · 308 fish
2018Lengths measured · 70 fish
2013Lengths measured · 539 fish
2004Yellow perchExcellent numbers24.6per gill net5"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 126 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 126 fish
2024Lengths measured · 161 fish
2018Lengths measured · 93 fish
2013Lengths measured · 176 fish
2004Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Clear Lake through the year
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- 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. With 71% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 18-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 71% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze. A 18-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
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 | Northern pike | Largemouth bass | Walleye |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 36" | 18" | — |
| 2018 | 34" | 14" | 21" |
| 2013 | 28" | 20" | 20" |
| 2004 | 30" | 19" | 25" |
| 1997 | 30" | 17" | 23" |
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:
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
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 | 198,000 fry |
| 2024 | Northern Pike | 4,950 |
| 2023 | Walleye | 198,000 fry |
| 2021 | Walleye | 198,000 fry |
| 2019 | Walleye | 198,000 fry |
| 2018 | Northern Pike | 9,675 fry |
| 2017 | Walleye | 197,587 fry |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | 39,322 fry |
| 2016 | Walleye | 31,598 |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2024 survey
Clear Lake is a 268-acre lake located in Le Sueur County near the city of Lexington. A DNR owned public access is located on the west side of the lake. Clear Lake has a maximum depth of 18 feet.
Clear Lake was surveyed the week of 3 June 2024 as part of a regular monitoring program conducted by Minnesota DNR. This survey consisted of deploying trap nets and gill nets as well as electrofishing to assess the fish community.
Read the full DNR narrative
Clear Lake has been designated a Tier-2 lake and will be surveyed every 6 years, including spring day electrofishing to assess Largemouth Bass as well as with gill nets and trap nets to assess Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch.
Clear lake has historically produced a high density Black Crappie fishery. Black Crappie relative abundance has varied from 0.8/trap net in 2013 to 43.6/trap net in 1997. Relative abundance of Black Crappie in 2024 was 5.9/trap net, which was a decrease from 2018 (16.3/trap net) but was near the average for similar lakes (6.5/trap net). Black Crappie were also sampled very effectively with gill nets being sampled at a rate of 22.8/gill net. Eight year classes of Black Crappie were present with no missing year-classes indicating consistent recruitment. Age-5 (2019 year class) and age-6 (2018 year class) Black Crappie were the most abundant. Black Crappie were small and ranged from 7.1 to 9.5 inches with an average of 7.8 inches in trap nets. Gill nets sampled slightly smaller Black Crappie that ranged from 4.1 to 9.2 inches and averaged 7.4 inches.
Bluegill relative abundance has been increasing since 1975 with occasional drops due to winterkill. Bluegill were sampled at a rate of 144.0/trap net in 2024, which was the highest recorded and much greater than in 2018 (24.0/trap net). Bluegills ranged from 4.1 to 7.3 inches in length and averaged 6.3 inches in 2024. Seven year classes of Bluegill were sampled in 2024 (age-1 through age-7).
Walleye has historically been in low abundance in Clear Lake, and none were sampled in 2024.
Largemouth Bass were assessed using day-time electrofishing. Relative abundance of Largemouth Bass was 5.7/hour. The average length of Largemouth Bass sampled in 2024 was 16.6 inches and ranged from 12.4 to 18.2 inches.
Northern pike have historically been moderately abundant in Clear Lake with increasing abundance since 1992. The catch rate of 7.4 per gill net in 2024 was the highest since 1975 and more than double the lake average. Northern Pike sampled with gill nets ranged from 15.6 to 33.4 inches in length and averaged 26.7 inches. Also, 81% of Northern Pike were longer than southern zone regulation of 24 inches.
The 2018 Yellow Perch relative abundance (24.6/gill net) was nearly identical to the 2018 catch rate (24.8/gill net). Yellow Perch were small, with no fish exceeding 8.0 inches. Yellow Perch ranged in length from 4.8 to 7.5 inches and averaged 5.7 inches.
Black Bullhead have historically had a high relative abundance in Clear Lake (105/gillnet) but were on a downward trend until 2018 when gillnet numbers were 118.3/ gillnet. The 2024 Black Bullhead catch rate was 101.6 per gill net. Black Bullheads ranged from 5.2 to 11.2 inches and averaged 8.5 inches.
Freshwater Drum (sheepshead), Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, hybrid Sunfish and Golden Shiner were also present, but occurred in low numbers.
-Brandon Eder, assistant area supervisor
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.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Clear Lake (trailer launch)
- Clear Lake Fishing Pier (fishing pier)
DNR bathymetry
Clear Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Greenleaf Lake · 302 ac · 4.4 mi
- Volney Lake · 269 ac · 5.5 mi
- Gorman Lake · 521 ac · 6.8 mi
- Dora Lake · 733 ac · 7.9 mi
- Sabre Lake · 258 ac · 9.6 mi
- Phelps Lake · 303 ac · 9.7 mi
- Scotch Lake · 598 ac · 9.7 mi
- Cody Lake · 259 ac · 10.1 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Clear Lake?
Clear Lake reaches 18 ft at its deepest point; about 71% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Clear Lake?
Clear Lake covers 279 acres with about 2.9 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Clear Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Clear Lake average 4.2 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Clear Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2024) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Clear Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.
Does Clear Lake have a public access?
Yes. Clear Lake has 2 public access sites, including Clear Lake (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Clear Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 36"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1997.
When was Clear Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Clear Lake in 2024, the most recent of 9 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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