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 topographical lake maps available Clear Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Clear Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Clear Lake

Are there boat launches on Clear Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Clear Lake?

Ice-out trap netting began on April 15, 2019 at Clear Lake south of Gibbon to evaluate current Northern Pike and Yellow Perch management, which began in late 2016. Trap nets were set to evaluate Clear's fish population. Clear Lake has a history of winterkill with the latest event occurring in 2014. Winterkill frequency is decreasing at Clear Lake, just as it is across southern Minnesota. Fish populations can fluctuate widely depending on the frequency and severity of the latest winterkill at Clear Lake. Caution is advised when interpreting this data, as catches from one day netting assessments can be highly variable, and catch rates should not be compared to summer trap net data. The 2019 net catches were as follows:
Trap nets sampled low numbers (12) of Northern Pike for a catch rate of 1.5/net. Northern Pike were 17.4 to 30.7 inches long with an average of 22.0 inches. Approximately 58% of the catch was 21 inches or longer. Northern Pike adults were stocked in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Enough adult Northern Pike have likely been stocked that so fish should now begin producing natural year classes on their own. Pike fishing should improve over the next several years. Northern Pike can typically survive lower winter dissolved oxygen levels (which occasionally occur at Clear Lake) than Walleye and Bluegill can which is why management switched to Yellow Perch and Northern Pike in 2016.

Trap nets sampled low numbers (17) of Yellow Perch for a catch rate of 2.1/net. Yellow Perch were 5.5 to 8.9 inches long with an average length of 7.2 inches. Yellow Perch were stocked in 2018 and 2019. Yellow Perch abundance should increase over the next several years with hopes of supplying abundant forage for Northern Pike and perhaps even producing a few "jumbos" for anglers.
Trap nets sampled low numbers (17) of Walleye for a catch rate of 2.1/net. Walleye were 8.5 to 19.5 inches long with an average of 14.4 inches. Clear Lake was last stocked with Walleye fry in 2015, when it was used as a DNR Walleye rearing pond. Presence of eight fish less than 10.5 inches in length possibly indicated that natural reproduction had occurred at Clear Lake.

Trap nets failed to sample any Black Crappie in 2019. Stockings efforts from 2015 and 2016 may have been unsuccessful, but one day netting surveys can be unreliable, occasionally not sampling fish that were actually present in a lake.
Trap nets sampled low numbers (5) of White Crappie for a catch rate of 0.6/net. White Crappie were 9.6 to 11.6 inches long with an average of 10.4 inches. White Cappie were stocked in 2016.

Trap nets sampled high numbers of (2,691) Common Carp for a catch rate of 336.4/net, dominating the 2019 catch. Common Carp were mostly 9.7 to 11.1 inches in length, and a few larger (2 to 3 pound) individuals were also observed in the nets.

Trap nets sampled low to moderate numbers of Black Bullhead (245) for a catch rate of 30.6/net. Most of the Black Bullhead were estimated to be 5 to 7 inches in length.

Trap nets also sampled low numbers of Bigmouth Buffalo (1), Bluegill (2), and Green Sunfish (1).

Currently, Walleye and Northern Pike will likely provide the best fishing opportunities at Clear Lake, with occasional catches of White Crappie and Yellow Perch also being possible. The public access on the north shore and the Sibley County Park on the east shore offer good shore fishing opportunities. Future plans for Clear Lake are a proposed drawdown after a public hearing to reduce rough fish abundance via winterkill, then restocking the lake with Northern Pike and Yellow Perch.

What is the average air temp for Clear Lake?

Are there any state parks near Clear Lake?