Minnesota · Waseca County

Clear Lake Fishing guide

Clear Lake covers 649 acres in Waseca County, Minnesota, reaching 34 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 2.9 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 24 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 34 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface649 ac

Max depth34 ft

Clarity2.9 ft

Littoral69%

Surveyed2024

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. In 2.9 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
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. With 69% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. In 2.9 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
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 69% 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.

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	Largemouth bass	Northern pike
2024	26"	20"	33"
2021	24"	19"	37"
2019	—	18"	—
2018	24"	19"	35"
2017	—	18"	—
2015	26"	17"	32"
2010	26"	19"	33"
2003	26"	18"	33"

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 · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

Shop curly-tail grubs →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Jigs & bladed

Skirted Casting Jig + Craw Trailer

3.5–4" craw-style trailer on a skirted casting/flipping jig

3–20 ftdead slowweedless

Shop skirted casting jigs →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

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

3–25 ftmoderate

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Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Spinnerbait

3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades

1–12 ftmoderate

Shop spinnerbaits →

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	16,862 fingerlings
2024	Northern Pike	90,160 fry
2023	Walleye	11,392 fingerlings
2022	Northern Pike	122,905 fry
2021	Walleye	19,685 fingerlings
2019	Walleye	15,212 fingerlings
2018	Walleye	12,532 fingerlings
2016	Northern Pike	153,919 fry
2016	Walleye	497 fingerlings · 3,643 yearlings · 196 adults

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2024 survey

Clear Lake is a 652-acre lake located within the town of Waseca in Waseca County. Two DNR-maintained public accesses are available. One is located off Clear Lake Drive on the north side and the other just off MN Highway 14 on the southeast side of the lake. The maximum depth is 34 feet with approximately 69% of the lake less than 15 feet deep. The lake has generally poor water clarity and frequent algae blooms caused by elevated nutrient levels. Clear Lake is designated as an infested water body due to the establishment of Eurasian Watermilfoil. The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Largemouth Bass and secondarily for Northern Pike and Walleye. The management plan calls for stocking 896 pounds of Walleye fingerlings in even years and 112,000 Northern Pike fry in odd years. A catch and release regulation on Largemouth Bass has been in place since 1994.

Recently, Clear Lake has been designated as a Tier-1 Lake and will be surveyed as part of a regularly scheduled monitoring program at a frequency of every 3 years. The 2024 survey was completed the week of 5 August 2024 using eight gill nets, 12 trap nets, and 55 minutes of boat electrofishing. Water quality parameters were also measured.

Read the full DNR narrative

Bluegill were the most sampled fish in 2024. A total of 452 were caught in gill nets for a catch rate of 56.5/net. Bluegill sampled in gill nets ranged from 5.4 to 8.4 inches with an average of 6.9 inches. A total of 697 Bluegill were sampled with trap nets for a catch rate of 58.1/net. Bluegill catch rates in trap nets have rebounded in recent years after averaging 19.8/net from 2015 to 2021. Before 2010 Bluegill catch rates averaged 64.0/net. Bluegill sampled in trap nets ranged from 4.2 to 8.5 inches with a mean of 7.1 inches. Bluegills from both gears were age-3 to age-6 with four year classes present.

Black Crappie were abundant in gill nets in 2024. A total of 285 were caught for a catch rate of 35.6/net. High Black Crappie catch rates have occurred frequently with a mean catch rate of 79.7/net since 1993. Black Crappie ranged from 4.8 to 10.0 inches with a mean of 8.3 inches. Black Crappie were aged using scales and otoliths. Black Crappie ranged from age-1 to age-6 with six year classes present.

A total of 21 Largemouth Bass were sampled with boat electrofishing for a catch rate of 22.7/hour, which was well below the historical average of 87.0/hour. The low catch rate was likely due to clear water and abundant filamentous algae at the time of electrofishing. Largemouth Bass ranged from 5.7 to 19.0 inches and averaged 10.8 inches. An additional 14 fish ranging from 10.6 to 20.3 inches were sampled with the net gears. Largemouth Bass were aged using scales and otoliths. Largemouth Bass ranged from age-1 to age-15 with 10 year classes present. Largemouth Bass age-2 through age-4 made up 60% of the sample. Anglers report high catch rates of good sized Largemouth Bass. The no-kill regulation protects an abundant Largemouth Bass population in a lake where suitable habitat is somewhat limited.

A total of 8 Northern Pike were sampled in gill nets in 2024 for a catch rate of 1.0/net. Northern Pike catch rates have varied from 0.4/net to 5.4/net with a mean of 2.7/net since 1993. Northern Pike ranged from 22.7 to 32.4 inches with a mean of 26.5 inches and 75% exceeded the legal minimum length limit of 24 inches.

Walleye numbers decreased in 2024 from 2021 (11.3/net) which was the highest on record. A total of 33 Walleye were sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 4.1/net in 2024. Walleye in 2024 ranged from 14.9 to 26.3 inches with an average length of 19.1 inches. Walleye were aged using scales and otoliths and ranged from age-3 to age-6 with three year classes present. The strongest year classes were 2019 and 2021, which coincide with fingerling stocking events. Walleye growth in 2021 was fast with fish reaching 15.0 inches at three years of age. The Clear Lake Walleye population remains strong.

Yellow Bullheads have become more common in Clear Lake over the past 20 years or so and were well represented in the 2024 gill net sample. Yellow Bullheads were the second most sampled fish in gill nets in 2024. A total of 395 Yellow Bullheads were sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 49.4/net. Yellow Bullheads sampled were very large, ranging from 8.7 to 15.8 inches and averaging 13.2 inches in length.

A total of 70 Black Bullheads were sampled for a catch rate of 8.8/net. Black Bullheads ranged in size from 6.5 to 15.6 inches and averaged 11.3 inches. Anyone looking to target bullheads in the area should consider Clear Lake for a good chance of catching some nice fish. Healthy, stable lakes favor Yellow Bullheads over Black Bullheads so their prevalence should be considered favorable to Clear Lake management.

Common Carp remained rare in 2024. No Common Carp were sampled with gill nets and 6 were sampled with trap nets for a catch rate of 0.5/net. Common Carp numbers remained low enough to be considered insignificant to game fish management.

Other species sampled in 2024 include Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Perch.

Water quality measurements included water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and secchi depth. Water clarity was poor with a secchi depth of 3.0 feet. Dissolved oxygen and water temperature readings ranged from 5.5 ppm and 77.7 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface to 0.1 ppm and 76.8 degrees Fahrenheit at 26 feet. A thermocline was detected at 16 feet.

-Tyler Fellows, fisheries specialist

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

Waseca County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Clear Lake (N) (trailer launch)
Clear Lake (S) (trailer launch)
Clear Lake Park Fishing Pier (fishing pier)

DNR bathymetry

Clear Lake depth map

Clear Lake depth contour map, Waseca County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 34 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

Loon Lake · 125 ac · 1.8 mi
Reeds Lake · 195 ac · 9.4 mi
Upper Sakatah Lake · 892 ac · 10 mi
Lower Sakatah Lake · 372 ac · 10.5 mi
Lily Lake · 114 ac · 10.6 mi
Tetonka Lake · 1,358 ac · 11.5 mi
Elysian (Main Lake) · 2,215 ac · 11.8 mi
Kohlmeier Lake · 35 ac · 12 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Clear Lake?

Clear Lake reaches 34 ft at its deepest point; about 69% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Clear Lake?

Clear Lake covers 649 acres with about 4.4 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Clear Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Clear Lake average 2.9 ft of visibility, on the stained end 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 3 public access sites, including Clear Lake (N) (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Clear Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 26"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2003.

When was Clear Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Clear Lake in 2024, the most recent of 24 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