Clark

Clark Lake is a 343 acre lake located in west-central Crow Wing County with a maximum depth of 31'. Due to the fertility of the lake, periodic partial winterkills have been known to occur in the past. There are no recent winterkills on record. Walleye have been stocked in the past as fry after winterkill events and the lake association has been allowed to stock fingerlings up to every other year. Fingerling stocking last occurred in October of 2021. Only one Walleye measuring 22.1" was caught in this survey. The catch rate has never been higher than 1.0/gill net. The lake is primarily managed for Northern Pike and panfish species. The Northern Pike catch rate of 9.3/gill net was average for this type of lake. Average length was only 17.4" and 84% of the fish were under 22". Anglers are allowed to keep 10 fish of this size. Panfish size looked a little bit better. Bluegill were caught in above average numbers (51.6/trap net). They had an average length of 6.7" and 37% of the fish were 7" or larger. Black Crappie numbers were also above average (6.0/trap net) and 77% of the fish were 8" or larger. Although not sampled well with gill nets and trap nets, Largemouth Bass are also available for anglers. The fish that were caught ranged from 7.8" to 15.2".

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Clark Lake was conducted over several days, beginning on June 26th, 2020 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations, but one station was sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations, a 15-foot seine was used at one stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 23 species of fish including six species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, and Mimic Shiner) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). The nearshore data will be combined with trap net and gill net data to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g. Banded Killifish, Iowa Darters, Mimic Shiners), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Green Sunfish, Fathead Minnows, and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Crow Wing River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Clark Lake is a 343 acre lake located in west-central Crow Wing County with a maximum depth of 31'. Due to the fertility of the lake, periodic partial winterkills have been known to occur in the past. The primary management species is northern pike, with bluegill and black crappies being the secondary management species. A population assessment was conducted the week of June 2, 2014. The northern pike catch rate for this assessment was 10.5/gill net, which is close to the average for Clark. The average size of these fish was 22.1" with fish up to 30.1" measured. Nearly 32% were 24" or larger. In order to maintain or improve the northern pike population, anglers are encouraged to keep some smaller northern pike and release larger ones, particularly those over 24". Bluegill catch rate was 40.8/trap net, which is above average for lakes like Clark. The average size bluegill was 6.6" and the largest sampled was 8.8". Nearly 29% of these fish were 7" or larger. Black crappies are another option for anglers. The catch rate was 2.6/trap net, which is close to average. The average length of black crappies was 8.4" and fish up to 10.2" were sampled. More than 69% were 8" or larger. Although not sampled well with gill nets and trap nets, largemouth bass are also available for anglers. Only 4 were sampled in the assessment, all in trap nets. This yielded a catch rate of 0.4/trap net, which is slightly below average for lakes that are similar to Clark. The average size of these 4 fish was only 8.8" with the largest at 10.4". Walleyes have been stocked over the years with many of the stockings taking place after a partial winterkill. Walleyes were last stocked in Clark in 1998, when 264,000 fry were put in and then via private lake association stocking of fingerlings in 2011. The catch rate has never been higher than 1.0/gill net. Only 2 were sampled in gill nets in 2014 for a catch rate of 0.3/gill net. When aged, both fish appear to have originated from the 1998 stocking. There is also some potential for fish movement from Lake Hubert or Nisswa Lake via connection to Clark Lake. Some other fish species sampled during the population assessment include black bullhead, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch.

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

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

Clark has a maximum depth of 31 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Clark is from 2021.

Yes — Clark has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.