Johnson

Johnson Lake (also known as Grant Lake) is a 63-acre, undeveloped natural lake located 8 miles northeast of Clearbrook in northern Clearwater County. Johnson has an average water clarity of 7 feet and a maximum depth of 70 feet. Johnson Lake has multiple small inlets and one outlet connecting to the Clearwater River. A public access is located on county road 15, near the outlet on the northeastern shore. A standard survey was completed on Johnson Lake in 2023 to assess the fish community. Gamefish species targeted by anglers in this lake include Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Perch. Walleye lengths ranged from 15 to 23 inches and averaged 19 inches. Walleye abundance decreased from 2013 and was below the lake's historical average, but still within the typical range for lakes with similar morphological characteristics. The Walleye population is sustained by stocking on an alternate year rotation. Two year classes were captured, likely originating from the 2018 and 2020 stocking events. Northern Pike abundance was average for the lake and within the typical range for similar lakes in Minnesota. Northern Pike ranged from 16 to 26 inches and averaged 21 inches. Fifty-three percent of the Northern Pike captured in gill nets were larger than 22 inches, but only six percent were over 26 inches. Bluegill abundance remains low and below the normal range for this lake type. Bluegill lengths averaged 6 inches. Pumpkinseed abundance was above average, but fish were small with lengths ranging from 3 to 6 inches. Four Largemouth Bass were captured and averaged 12 inches. Yellow Perch is considered an important forage species for large predators like Walleye, Northern Pike, and Largemouth Bass. Yellow Perch abundance was above average and lengths ranged from 5 to 9 inches. Other species sampled during the survey included Black Bullhead and White Sucker. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been found in Johnson Lake. AIS can be transferred by anglers and boats from infested to non-infested waterbodies. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the lake. Please follow the current AIS regulations to avoid spreading to other lakes.

Johnson Lake is a quiet, out of the way lake in northern Clearwater County. In early June of 2018, the Bemidji Fisheries Office was contacted by local anglers and alerted that a winterkill may have occurred. This assessment was done as a follow up to those reports. In late August of 2018, an electrofishing survey was conducted to determine the extent of winterkill. During nearly 30 minutes of sampling effort, 54 fish comprised of 8 species were captured, measured, and released. The most abundant species were Yellow Perch and Black Bullhead. Perch up to 7.9 inches were captured. The largest fish was an 8.5 inch Brown Bullhead. All fish sampled were species that tend to be more tolerant of low dissolved oxygen conditions. Species not sampled that were present in previous assessments were Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Walleye and Northern Pike. Walleye fingerlings were stocked about a month after the assessment and are expected to survive and grow well due to the lack of competition and abundance of prey species. Bluegill will likely be reintroduced in the spring of 2019. Northern pike are likely still present since they are also quite tolerant of low dissolved oxygen, but may not have been vulnerable to electrofishing at that time of year.

Johnson Lake (Grant Lake) is a 56-acre lake with a maximum depth of 70 feet located three miles northeast of the town of Clearbrook in northern Clearwater County. Johnson Lake is managed primarily for walleye, with northern pike, yellow perch and pumpkinseed managed as secondary species. Fish habitat is marginal in Johnson Lake. Water less than fifteen feet in depth is limited, and much of the water column becomes devoid of oxygen during summer months. Johnson Lake also has a history of winterkill events, although none have occurred recently. Water quality measurements taken in July of 2013 showed adequate oxygen levels for fish down to a depth of 14 feet and a Secchi disc reading of 6.5 feet, with a heavy algal bloom noted. Johnson Lake is stocked with walleye fingerlings on alternate years, which has provided some walleye fishing opportunity in an area with relatively few fishing lakes.The 2013 walleye catch rate of 3 fish per gill net (3/GN) is near the upper end of the normal range for Lake Class 28 lakes. Walleye ranged in length from 16.5 inches to 24.5 inches in length, with an average size of 19.1 inches and 2.54 lbs. Trap nets captured good numbers of smaller walleye (12.4 inch average size) indicating the success of recent stockings. A total of seven year classes of walleye were identified in the assessment. The northern pike catch rate of 11/GN was above the normal range (2.75/GN to 8.67/GN) for Lake Class 28 lakes. Pike up to 27.7 inches in length were captured, with an average size of 21.3 inches in length and 2.3 lbs. Yellow perch were fairly abundant in the assessment (21.3/GN) but most perch captured were less than 7 inches in length. Trap nets sampled low numbers of bluegill (5.11/TN). Bluegill were smaller than most anglers prefer, with an average length of 5.5 inches. Other species captured in the 2013 assessment were black bullhead, white sucker, rock bass, and pumpkinseed.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Yellow Perch, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, and Northern Pike in Johnson. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Johnson. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Johnson has a maximum depth of 70 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Johnson is from 2023.

No invasive species are on record for Johnson in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.