Deep

Deep Lake is a 40-acre lake located just east of the city of Clearbrook in Clearwater County. There is a County-owned public water access located on the southeast end of the lake with parking for approximately 5 vehicles/trailers. Deep Lake is managed as a two-story fishery with Rainbow Trout, sunfish species, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike present in the lake. The diversity of species offers anglers a few options in case the trout don't feel like biting. Deep is not a designated stream trout lake, however anglers should be aware that a trout stamp is required if they want to harvest trout. Deep Lake has been stocked with 4,700 yearling Rainbow Trout annually since 2008. These fish are typically 9 to 11 inches in length at the time of stocking. The 2022 catch rate of 8/gill net was up from 4/gill net in the previous survey (2017). Reports of good trout fishing including catches of larger, carry-over fish are received by the area fisheries office each year. The largest Rainbow Trout captured in this survey measured over 20 inches in length. Deep Lake has become a popular winter destination for trout anglers in recent years. Thankfully, Northern Pike numbers have remained low in Deep Lake since the resumption of trout stocking in 2008 as they can be very effective predators of stocked trout. The largest pike captured in the 2022 survey was over 34 inches in length although larger fish have been caught by anglers or speared in recent years. Deep Lake has become a popular destination for Northern Pike spearing as well. The 2022 Bluegill catch rate of 9/trap net was down from 2017 (34/trap net). Twenty five percent of the bluegill catch exceeded 7 inches with a few fish approaching 9 inches in length captured. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass are present in the lake but their catch rates have been very low in most surveys. Black Crappie up to 11 inches in length were captured in the 2022 survey.

Deep Lake is a 40-acre lake located just east of the city of Clearbrook in Clearwater County. There is an unimproved public water access located on the southeast end of the lake with parking for approximately 5 vehicles/trailers. Deep Lake is managed as a two-story fishery with Rainbow Trout, sunfish, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike present in the lake. This diversity of species offers anglers a few options in case the trout don't feel like biting. Deep Lake has been stocked with 4,700 yearling Rainbow Trout annually since 2008. These fish are typically 9 to 11 inches in length at the time of stocking. The 2017 catch rate of 4/gill net was down from 10.5/gill net in the most recent survey (2012). However, reports of good trout fishing including catches of larger carry-over fish are received by the area fisheries office each year. Deep Lake has also become a popular winter destination for trout anglers in recent years. The 2017 Bluegill catch rate of 34.33/trap net was up considerably from historic surveys and was within the upper range of values for similar lakes. Nearly 20% of Bluegill captured in trap nets exceeded 8 inches in length. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass are present in the lake but their catch rates have been very low in most historic surveys. Black Crappie up to 10.63 inches in length and Largemouth Bass up to 14.29 inches in length were captured in the 2017 survey. Thankfully, Northern Pike numbers have remained low in Deep Lake since the resumption of trout stocking in 2008 as they can be very effective predators of stocked trout. The largest pike captured in the 2017 survey was 30.12 inches in length although larger fish have been caught by anglers or speared in recent years.

Deep Lake is a 47-acre lake located just east of the city of Clearbrook in Clearwater County. There is an unimproved public water access located on the southeast end of the lake. Deep Lake is managed as a two-story fishery with rainbow trout, sunfish, black crappie, largemouth bass and northern pike all present in the lake. Yearling rainbow trout have been stocked annually at a rate of 100 fish/acre since 2008. The 2012 rainbow trout catch rate of 10.50 fish/gill net shows an abundant trout population in Deep Lake. Rainbow trout ranged in length up to 18.1 inches, with an average size of 12.4 inches and 0.84 pounds. The length frequency distribution of the sample suggests the presence of 3 to 4 year classes of trout, indicating good survival and growth of stocked fish. Anglers have reported catching rainbow trout in excess of 20 inches in length during the past few years. Deep Lake is open to fishing during the winter season (see regulation synopsis for details). The success of rainbow trout management in Deep Lake has made it a popular destination for local anglers. Deep Lake contains a low-density northern pike population. The 2012 catch rate of 1.5 fish/gill net is well below the statewide lower quartile value of 2.8 fish/gill net for class 28 lakes. Pike ranged up to 36.3 inches in length, with an impressive average size of 28.4 inches and 7.5 pounds. Interestingly, the average size of pike in Deep Lake has nearly doubled since the last assessment in 2005, most likely due to the availability of rainbow trout as a prey species. Pike are voracious predators of trout, but their presence in such low numbers is not detrimental and provides anglers the opportunity to catch truly large pike. Bluegill, black crappie and largemouth bass are all present in Deep Lake. The lake's deep basin and sharp shoreline drop-offs limit suitable habitat for these warm-water species, resulting in low-density populations with relatively slow growth rates. The 2012 assessment catch rate for bluegill was 16.0 fish/trap net, which is within the normal range for class 28 lakes. Bluegill reproduction has been consistent, with 6 year classes identified from the sample. Medium size bluegill from 6 to 8 inches in length comprised a large proportion of the sample (55%). Growth rates for bluegill were actually above average for this lake type in the Bemidji area, so these fish have some potential to reach larger sizes, and fish up to 9.4 inches in length were present in the 2012 sample. Black crappie were captured in very low numbers compared to previous assessments and may not warrant any angling effort at this time. The largemouth bass catch rate of 1.33 fish/trap net was within the normal range for class 28 lakes. Largemouth bass ranged in length up to 13.9 inches. Growth rates for largemouth bass were below the Bemidji area mean for this lake class, which may limit the ultimate size bass are able to obtain in the lake. Other warm-water fish species sampled in small numbers in 2012 included hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, yellow bullhead and yellow perch.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Rainbow Trout, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Hybrid Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass in Deep. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Deep has a maximum depth of 76 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Deep is from 2022.

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