Lake Caroline

How big is Lake Caroline?

How deep is Lake Caroline?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lake Caroline?

What are the closest cities to Lake Caroline?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lake Caroline?

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Caroline?

There are specific fishing regulations Lake Caroline that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Lake Caroline?

Lake Caroline is a 126 acre lake located along the Clearwater River in Wright County east of the city of Fairhaven. The lake has a surface area of 126 acres with a maximum depth of 45 feet and a mid-summer secchi depth of 5 feet. Lake Caroline has no public access; however it can be accessed from Lake Augusta via the Clearwater River when free from obstruction during high water conditions. The watershed is large and dominated by cultivated crops and pasture land; the lake is lightly developed. An emergent and floating leaf survey was conducted on July 17, 2019. The shoreline was made up of 19.5% emergent vegetation with Yellow Waterlily, White Waterlily, cattail, bulrush, and sedge species observed.

Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass are the primary managed species. A standard survey of all the lakes along the Clearwater River was completed in 2014. These include: Louisa/Marie, Caroline, Augusta, Clearwater, and Grass lakes. Similarly, in 2019 with the exception of Grass Lake, these lakes were surveyed again. The survey included spring Largemouth Bass electrofishing; then gill netting and trap netting for all species.

Largemouth Bass sampled ranged in length from 11 to 19 inches with an average length of 15 inches. Anglers should have opportunities to catch quality-sized Largemouth Bass as 90% percent of fish sampled were longer than 12 inches and 60% were longer than 15 inches.

The Northern Pike catch rate increased from the previous survey, and was in the expected values for lakes similar to Lake Caroline. Anglers should have opportunities to catch quality-sized Northern Pike as fish in the survey ranged in length from 17 to 35 inches.

The Bluegill catch rate was higher than the previous survey and was in the range of expected values for lakes similar to Lake Caroline. Bluegills up to eight (8) inches were sampled with an average length of five (5) inches. Hybrid Sunfish and Pumpkinseed were also observed in the survey.
The 2019 catch rate of Black Crappie was similar to the previous survey. Black Crappie sampled ranged in length from 4 to 12 inches with an average length of 9 inches. Thirty percent of black crappie were longer than 10 inches.

The Walleye catch rate was less than the previous survey, but was still within the expected values for lakes similar to Lake Caroline. Walleye ranged in length from 9 to 24 inches with an average length of 17 inches. Walleye populations occur either through natural reproduction or from stocked fish migrating via the Clearwater River from Clearwater Lake. Growth rates were relatively fast, which is probably due to an abundance of available forage.


Yellow Perch have been absent from previous surveys since 1997, but were caught in the 2019 survey with a catch rate in the expected range of values for lakes similar to Lake Caroline. Yellow Perch sampled ranged in length from 4 to 7 inches.

Channel Catfish were sampled in low numbers again with three (3) total fish caught. Channel Catfish ranged in length from 13 to 23 inches.

Other species that were noted in the sample include Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, Bowfin (Dogfish), Tulibee (Cisco), and White Sucker. Most of these species were sampled in low numbers, with the exception of White Suckers, compared to other lakes similar to Lake Caroline.

What is the average air temp for Lake Caroline?