Clear Lake Fishing near Crosslake, Minnesota

• Overview

  Clear Lake is one of the Crow Wing County listings for Minnesota. The water sits 1,339 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 23 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. There is roughly 0.9 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Our Crow Wing County list holds plenty of bigger water. Crosslake is the closest place, 7.5 miles off. For a city, Fargo is 125 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Crow Wing County cover largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Take Clear Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 68°F and January at 6°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Corral Lake, 0.7 miles out. Confirm access to Clear Lake locally before you travel.