Clear

Clear Lake is a 415-acre, class 43 lake, located four miles west of the City of Jackson in Jackson County. The lake has a maximum depth of 9.0 feet and a shoreline length of 3.8 miles. Clear Lake has historically been a good Walleye fishery and therefore is managed primarily for Walleye. Secondary management species include Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. Clear Lake was stocked with Lower Mississippi Strain (LMS) Walleye fry in the springs of 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022 in an effort to get this strain of Walleye established in additional waterbodies. LMS Walleye are present in Murray County's Lake Sarah, a lake that hasn't been stocked since 1991 because the Walleye population is sustained at high levels through natural reproduction. Clear Lake was selected because it has traditionally supported a good Walleye population and has historically had sporadic natural reproduction (41.0 per hour in 2019, 16.0 per hour in 2020) and thus likely has habitat for spawning walleye providing environmental conditions are conducive to natural reproduction. A natural reproduction check was conducted on September 21, 2023, to determine if natural reproduction occurred in Clear Lake. Age-0 (YOY) Walleye were captured at a rate of 140.0 per hour, which indicates that natural reproduction occurred in Clear Lake in 2023. Analysis of fall electrofishing data has indicated that a catch rate of less than 30.0 per hour often times does not produce a year class, and that a catch rate of more than 30.0 per hour may produce a strong year class, but it's not certain. Walleye fingerlings ranged from 6.5 to 9.3 inches in length and averaged 8.4 inches. The 2023 naturally produced year class will be important to the Walleye population in Clear Lake.

Clear Lake is a 415-acre lake, located four miles west of the City of Jackson in Jackson County. The lake has a maximum depth of 9.0 feet and a shoreline length of 3.8 miles. Water clarity was good during the survey in early June, with a Secchi disk reading of 3.5 feet. Clear Lake is managed primarily for Walleye and has historically been a good Walleye fishery. Secondary management species include Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. The current management plan calls for Walleye fry to be stocked 3 of 4 years (2024, 2025, 2026 and 2028) at 500 per littoral acre. Northern Pike are stocked when there is surplus fingerlings and winter rescue adults are available. Clear Lake was surveyed the week of June 5, 2023, to monitor fish populations using three gill nets and nine trap nets. Thee 2023 Walleye catch rate was the lowest rate ever recorded at Clear Lake at 1.7 per gill net. Historically, catch rates of Walleye have varied from 1.7 per gill net in 2003 and 2023 to 18.0 per gill net in 1990, and have averaged 9.3 per gill net. The catch was also below the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.3 to 18.1 per gill net), but lack of fish movement during the survey week may have resulted in low catches, as abundant adult Walleye were observed during a fall electrofishing survey. Walleye ranged in total length from 13.6 to 24.6 inches and averaged 20.0 inches. Four year classes were sampled (2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019) in the June survey and all were stocked years except for 2019 (1 fish). A natural reproduction check was done in the fall of 2023, during which Young of the Year Walleye were sampled at a rate of 140.0 per hour of electrofishing. We know catch rates of Age-0 Walleye at 30 per hour can produce great fishing at times. Clear Lake Walleye successfully reproduced in 2023 and likely will bode well for the Walleye population in the future for anglers. Prior to 2023, catch rates of Northern Pike have varied from 0.0 per gill net in both 1993 and 2019 to 5.0 per gill net in 1982 and have averaged 1.3 per gill net. The 2023 catch rate of 7.7 Northern Pike per gill net is the highest on record at Clear Lake and is likely the result of stocking advanced stage fingerlings in 2021. Additional large fingerlings were stocked in the fall of 2023, so Clear Lake's Northern Pike population is in good shape. Spawning habitat for Northern Pike is very limited in Clear Lake, so the population is highly dependent on maintenance stockings. Northern Pike lengths ranged from 19.1 to 25.6 inches and averaged 22.4 inches. Clear Lake is within the "southern zone" of the Northern Pike zone regulations, so two Pike longer than 24 inches can be harvested. The Yellow Perch population in Clear Lake has been highly variable, ranging from 0.3 per gill net in 1990 to 263.0 per gill net in 1987, and averaging 41.5 per gill net since 1982. No Yellow Perch were captured in the 2023 survey. Again, this may be an instance where the fish were not moving during the survey week, nonetheless pre-spawn adult Yellow Perch will be stocked in the spring of 2024. In the spring of 2016, an angler reported catching two adult Yellow Bass at Clear Lake, but did not keep them for confirmation. During the September electrofishing survey in 2016, young-of-the-year (YOY) Yellow Bass were observed throughout the lake. During several subsequent fall electrofishing surveys, YOY and older Yellow Bass have been observed throughout the lake, indicating that natural reproduction is occurring. In 2023, Yellow Bass were captured at a rate of 10.3 per gill net, an increase from the 2019 catch rate of 4.7 per gill net. Although Yellow Bass abundance increased from the previous survey, the magnitude of the increase is not as large as what we have seen in other new illegal introductions in southwest Minnesota. Lengths of Yellow Bass ranged from 4.6 to 10.7 inches and averaged 8.8 inches. The Yellow Bass population should continue to be monitored as diet studies have suggested that they may compete with Yellow Perch and other native species of fish. Yellow Bass were likely illegally stocked. Freshwater Drum abundance has varied from 0.0 per gill net in 1997 to 16.7 per gill in 2007. The 2023 catch rate was 18.3 per gill net, the highest on record at Clear Lake. Black Bullheads were scarce as only one was sampled in the whole survey. Other species sampled included Bigmouth Buffalo, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Yellow Bullhead.

Clear Lake is a 415-acre, class 43 lake, located four miles west of the City of Jackson in Jackson County. The lake has a maximum depth of 9.0 feet and a shoreline length of 3.8 miles. Clear Lake has historically been a good Walleye fishery and therefore is managed primarily for Walleye. Secondary management species include Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. Clear Lake was stocked with Lower Mississippi Strain (LMS) Walleye fry in the springs of 2016, 2017, and 2018 in an effort to get this strain established in additional waterbodies. LMS Walleye are present in Murray County's Lake Sarah, a lake that hasn't been stocked since 1991 because the Walleye population is sustained at high levels through natural reproduction. Clear Lake was selected because it has traditionally supported a good Walleye population and has historically had sporadic natural reproduction (41.0 per hour in 2019) and thus likely has habitat for spawning walleye providing environmental conditions are conducive to natural reproduction. Due to safety issues surrounding COVID-19, Walleye eggs were not taken in Minnesota in 2020, thus no stocking of age-0 Walleye occurred in the Windom management area. A natural reproduction check utilizing boat electrofishing was conducted on October 15, 2020 to determine if natural reproduction occurred in Clear Lake. Young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleye were captured at a rate of 16.0 per hour, which indicates that natural reproduction occurred in Clear Lake in 2020, but was minimal. Analysis of fall electrofishing data has indicated that a catch rate of less than 20.0 per hour often times does not produce a year class, and that a catch rate of more than 20.0 per hour may produce a strong year class but it's not certain. Walleye fingerlings ranged from 6.5 to 7.9 inches in length and averaged 7.2 inches. Fin clips were taken to verify the genetic strain of the 2020 year class, since the 2016 stocked LMS Walleye could be sexually mature. LMS was the most persistent strain sampled, accounting for 62 percent of fingerlings, followed by Spicer strain (11 percent) and Pike River strain (10 percent). Other strains accounted for 6 percent or less of the sample.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Channel Catfish, Yellow Perch, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, and Pumpkinseed in Clear. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Clear has a maximum depth of 9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

Yes — Clear has confirmed bighead carp and silver carp. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.