Clear Lake Fishing Guide, Cottonwood County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Clear Lake in the Cottonwood County part of Minnesota. Everything around it is lake country bush. It measures about 78 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 1.2 miles on foot. The town to know is Windom, 3.1 miles out. For a city, Sioux Falls is 86 miles off. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Cottonwood County names common carp, walleye, black bullhead, yellow perch and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Clear Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 72°F and January at 13°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early April. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Clear Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Cottonwood Lake sits 1.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Clear Lake should be assumed from this page alone.