Fishing at Clear Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Clear Lake in the Saint Louis County part of Minnesota. The country here is pine and birch. Roughly 143 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. There is roughly 2.3 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Start from Ely, 39 miles down the road. It is 157 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Saint Louis County records list yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Clear Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 4°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Kjostad Lake is 1.9 miles distant. Treat access at Clear Lake as something to verify.