Fishing at Clear Lake, Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  This water sits in Itasca County, Minnesota. It sits in lake country bush. Surface area is around 135 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The bank runs about 2.9 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Cohasset lies 37 miles from the water. Further out sit Coleraine (41 miles) and Grand Rapids (41 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Itasca County names yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Clear Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 66°F, with January the cold end at about 4°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Noma Lake at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Clear Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.