Clear

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Clear Lake was conducted beginning on June 12, 2024, 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 all 10 sampling stations. A 50-foot seine was used to sample 6 stations and a 15-foot seine was used at 2 stations. Sampling was difficult at 2 stations, which were not seined because site conditions prevented wading. Nearshore sampling captured 12 species of fish, including 1 species that is intolerant of disturbance (Iowa Darter) and 1 species that is tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). A summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 8 species of fish. Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch both by number and by biomass. Black Crappie were also abundant. Though relatively few in number, Northern Pike made up a significant proportion of the catch by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a survey conducted in July of 2023 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., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish 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. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Clear Lake is adversely impacted by stressors as indicated by an FIBI score near the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous survey findings which indicated that Clear Lake is impaired for biological health. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River - Sartell Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. The Clear Lake fishery offers angling opportunities for a number of game fish species, including Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike. However, the relatively low numbers of shiners and darters captured in the nearshore survey are cause for concern. You can help conserve the fishery in Clear Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Clear Lake is a 130-acre lake located six miles northwest of Cold Spring in central Stearns County. Clear Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet and water clarity is about 10 feet in the summer on average. Oxygen was adequate to support sport fish to a depth of 11 feet. Clear lake has a moderate diversity of aquatic plants to a depth of nine feet, and its entire shoreline is undeveloped and surrounded by cattails. The Clear Lake watershed is 29,768 acres with land use consisting of 32% agriculture, 23% forest, 23% hay/pasture, 12% open water, 7% wetland, and 3% residential. There is one public access on the southwest shore of the lake, and it is managed in cooperation with the Farming Sportsmen's Club. Largemouth bass were sampled using daytime electrofishing in 2023 and the catch was two times the catch in 2015, but still lower than the Sauk Rapids Area average. Largemouth Bass lengths ranged from 7.0 to 21.4 inches with an average length of 12.6 inches. Of the catchable size Largemouth Bass, 60% were larger than 12 inches and 28% were longer than 15 inches. The catch rate of Northern Pike for 2023 was one-third of the catch in 2015, but is still within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Clear Lake. The catch rates have varied between surveys; 2006 catch rates were similar to 2023, but 1996 and 2015 both had more than three times the catch rates of 2006 and 2023. Northern Pike ranged in length from 13.7 to 33.0 inches with an average length and weight of 27.8 inches and 2.6 pounds. Sixty-two percent of Northern Pike were longer than 21 inches, 24% were longer than 26 inches, and only 3% were longer than 30 inches. Clear Lake was first stocked with Walleye fingerlings in 1965 and was stocked every 2-4 years until 2006, when the stocking strategy was changed to every other year stocking. Because of poor return from previous Walleye stocking, Walleye stocking was discontinued after 2016. The Walleye catch in 2023 remains low, decreasing since the last survey in 2015. The Walleye sampled were all larger fish, ranging in length from 21.7 to 23.0 inches. Yellow Perch were not captured in the 2023 survey and their catch has been low dating back to 1996. Yellow Perch can be an important prey species for Northern Pike, and their low numbers may explain part of the reason why the Northern Pike numbers are in decline. Bluegill trap net catch decreased slightly from 2015, but is still within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Clear Lake and is similar to the long-term average of Clear Lake. The size structure of Bluegill was also similar to 2015, with lengths ranging from 3.4 to 9.0 inches and an average length of 6.7 inches. Seventy-eight percent of Bluegill sampled were longer than 6 inches and 11% were longer than eight inches, the size structure for Bluegill is excellent for a central Minnesota lake. The average replacement time for an eight-inch Bluegill in central Minnesota is 5-8 years, so anglers are encouraged to limit their harvest of larger Bluegill. This is especially important for larger adult males, which are more susceptible to angling pressure during the spawning season. These larger male Bluegills are important to maintaining a healthy, balanced size structure as their numbers can limit the potential that the rest of the population can achieve. Anglers can help maintain the Bluegill fishery of Clear Lake by selectively harvesting medium sized females and releasing the larger males. The catch rate for Black Crappie was lower than 2015, but still higher than the expected values for lakes similar to Clear Lake. Lengths ranged from 3.4 to 11.2 inches and the average length was 8.6 inches, which is similar to 2015 and shows a healthy size structure. Eighty-three percent of Black Crappie were longer than eight inches, so anglers can expect good fishing for Black Crappie in the next couple of years. No Common Carp were sampled during this survey, and Black Bullhead numbers decreased since the last survey. Other species sampled during the survey include Bowfin, Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, and Pumpkinseed.

A survey of nearshore fish species was conducted on June 15, 2016 by 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 all 10 sampling stations, but 3 stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 15-foot seine was used at 8 stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at 2 stations. Nearshore sampling captured 12 species of fish including 1 species that is intolerant of disturbance (Iowa Darter) and 2 that are tolerant of disturbance (Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). The nearshore fish data was combined with gill net and trap net data from a June 2015 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score based on expectations for similar lakes. The FIBI score for Clear Lake is below the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to a watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. Clear Lake is located in the Mississippi River-Sartell Watershed.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye 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 40 feet and a mean depth of 18.9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Clear is from 2024.

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.