Clear Lake

How big is Clear Lake?

How deep is Clear Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Clear Lake?

What are the closest cities to Clear Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Clear Lake?

Clear Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 12, which consists of 90 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are shallow and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Clear Lake was not thermally stratified on 09/08/2008. Clear Lake has several small inlets draining local swamps. The outlet, to the South Kawishiwi River, has a beaver dam limiting fish movement. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder, ledge rock, or rubble. Aquatic plants are moderately abundant and are scattered along the shoreline and in sheltered bays. Wild rice, waterlilies, pondweeds, and floating leaf burreed are the most common plants.

The 2008 fish population assessment on Clear Lake consisted of 6 gillnet sets. Six previous fisheries investigations have been conducted on Clear Lake, dating back to 1964. All used 6-8 gillnets and two included shoreline seining for sampling small fish. No trapnets were used due to the difficult portage access. The initial investigation was done in mid-July; subsequent investigations were done in August or early September.

The total catch of fish (all species combined) in the gillnets in 2008 of 15 fish/net (15 lb/net) was in the first quartile for this lake class, but was similar to the median catch of 17.4 fish/net (19.5 lb/net) in all investigations on Clear Lake. Fish populations in 2008 were dominated by walleye, northern pike, bluegill sunfish, and yellow perch. Fewer white sucker were caught in 2008 than in previous investigations.

Walleye numbers in 2008 (5.0/gillnet) were near the median for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 2.8/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Walleye fry have been stocked in Clear Lake in odd-numbered years, and all but two of the 30 walleye captured in 2008 were from stocked year-classes. Walleye sizes in 2008 averaged 14.0" (1.1 lb), which was in the second quartile for this lake class. The largest walleye was 22.4" and was eleven years old. Walleye growth was normal by area standards.

Northern pike numbers in 2008 (3.0/gillnet) were in the second quartile for this lake class and were lower than the median catch of 4.3/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Pike sizes in 2008 averaged 21.8" (2.2 lb), which was in the third quartile for this lake class. The largest pike was 26.6". Pike growth was normal by area standards.

Fair numbers of bluegill sunfish and yellow perch were present in 2008. A few black crappie and two smallmouth bass were also caught. These were the first smallmouth captured in Clear Lake.

Neascus (black spot) was present on some of the game fish examined in 2008. One walleye had lymphocystis, and one perch had yellow grub. All of these are caused by parasites or viruses that are common and are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting the fish, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.

What is the average air temp for Clear Lake?

Are there any state parks near Clear Lake?