Clear Lake Fishing in Pine County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Pine County in Minnesota is where Clear Lake sits. The surface lies 1,099 feet up. Small at around 17 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Sandstone is the closest place, 6 miles off. Hinckley follows at 14 miles, then Moose Lake at 19 miles. In the same area: Mud Lake within 0.2 miles, Fish Lake about 0.8 miles, Indian Lake within 1.5 miles, Little Bass Lake about 2.3 miles and Bass Lake within 2.3 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Pine County, recorded fish include northern pike, bluegill and largemouth bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Clear Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 7°F and July at about 68°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That shapes the year on Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Mud Lake is 0.2 miles off. Where Clear Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.