Clear

Clear is a moderate-sized lake (505 acres) located south of the Town of Gibbon, in Sibley County. A small-sized state-owned access, with a single cement boat ramp, is present on the north shore. A second boat ramp is available at the Sibley County Park on the lake's east shore. Multiple shore fishing spots are present at the county park. Clear has six miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of eight feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Clear is a class 43 lake and other similar lakes in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area are Swan and Winsted in McLeod County. A drawdown restoration project began at Clear Lake in 2024, continued through 2025 and the boards were put back into the outlet dam structure in mid-February 2026, to begin refilling the lake. The purpose of the restoration project was to reduce rough fish abundances, improve water quality and increase both submergent and emergent aquatic plant abundances. Nets were set in 2025 to evaluate winterkill severity. Thousands of dead Common Carp, Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, Yellow Perch, White Sucker, Black Crappie and White Crappie were observed along Clear Lake's shoreline at ice-out 2025. Clear Lake suffered a severe winterkill of fish in 2025. Walleye fry and pre-spawn adult Yellow Perch are scheduled to be stocked in the spring of 2026. The only species sampled in the three trap nets was Fathead Minnow, with moderate numbers of them (75) being captured. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Over harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are typically moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters and lakeshore owners, and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all lake water from their boat and bait buckets before leaving the lake. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Hutchinson Area Fisheries office.

Ice-out trap netting began on April 15, 2019 at Clear Lake south of Gibbon to evaluate current Northern Pike and Yellow Perch management, which began in late 2016. Trap nets were set to evaluate Clear's fish population. Clear Lake has a history of winterkill with the latest event occurring in 2014. Winterkill frequency is decreasing at Clear Lake, just as it is across southern Minnesota. Fish populations can fluctuate widely depending on the frequency and severity of the latest winterkill at Clear Lake. Caution is advised when interpreting this data, as catches from one day netting assessments can be highly variable, and catch rates should not be compared to summer trap net data. The 2019 net catches were as follows: Trap nets sampled low numbers (12) of Northern Pike for a catch rate of 1.5/net. Northern Pike were 17.4 to 30.7 inches long with an average of 22.0 inches. Approximately 58% of the catch was 21 inches or longer. Northern Pike adults were stocked in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Enough adult Northern Pike have likely been stocked that so fish should now begin producing natural year classes on their own. Pike fishing should improve over the next several years. Northern Pike can typically survive lower winter dissolved oxygen levels (which occasionally occur at Clear Lake) than Walleye and Bluegill can which is why management switched to Yellow Perch and Northern Pike in 2016. Trap nets sampled low numbers (17) of Yellow Perch for a catch rate of 2.1/net. Yellow Perch were 5.5 to 8.9 inches long with an average length of 7.2 inches. Yellow Perch were stocked in 2018 and 2019. Yellow Perch abundance should increase over the next several years with hopes of supplying abundant forage for Northern Pike and perhaps even producing a few "jumbos" for anglers. Trap nets sampled low numbers (17) of Walleye for a catch rate of 2.1/net. Walleye were 8.5 to 19.5 inches long with an average of 14.4 inches. Clear Lake was last stocked with Walleye fry in 2015, when it was used as a DNR Walleye rearing pond. Presence of eight fish less than 10.5 inches in length possibly indicated that natural reproduction had occurred at Clear Lake. Trap nets failed to sample any Black Crappie in 2019. Stockings efforts from 2015 and 2016 may have been unsuccessful, but one day netting surveys can be unreliable, occasionally not sampling fish that were actually present in a lake. Trap nets sampled low numbers (5) of White Crappie for a catch rate of 0.6/net. White Crappie were 9.6 to 11.6 inches long with an average of 10.4 inches. White Cappie were stocked in 2016. Trap nets sampled high numbers of (2,691) Common Carp for a catch rate of 336.4/net, dominating the 2019 catch. Common Carp were mostly 9.7 to 11.1 inches in length, and a few larger (2 to 3 pound) individuals were also observed in the nets. Trap nets sampled low to moderate numbers of Black Bullhead (245) for a catch rate of 30.6/net. Most of the Black Bullhead were estimated to be 5 to 7 inches in length. Trap nets also sampled low numbers of Bigmouth Buffalo (1), Bluegill (2), and Green Sunfish (1). Currently, Walleye and Northern Pike will likely provide the best fishing opportunities at Clear Lake, with occasional catches of White Crappie and Yellow Perch also being possible. The public access on the north shore and the Sibley County Park on the east shore offer good shore fishing opportunities. Future plans for Clear Lake are a proposed drawdown after a public hearing to reduce rough fish abundance via winterkill, then restocking the lake with Northern Pike and Yellow Perch.

STATUS OF THE FISHERY: Fish population is dominated by walleye and black bullhead. Walleye yearlings were stocked in the spring of 1987. The walleye catch rate is now 108.5/gill net lift and lengths ranged from 14" - 17". The black bullhead population is dominated by 6" - 8" fish. The northern pike catch rate is 0.50/gill net. Black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, green sunfish and hybrid sunfish are also present. Black crappies ranged from 10" - 12" and bluegills from 6" - 9" in length.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Green Sunfish, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Northern Pike 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 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Clear is from 2019.

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