Fishing at Clearwater Lake, Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Itasca County, Minnesota, is where Clearwater Lake sits. The water sits 1,296 feet up. Roughly 70 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With about 1.3 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. The nearest place of any size is Coleraine, 7.5 miles away. The big place round here is Fargo, 160 miles distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Clearwater Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Work Clearwater Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 67°F and January near 5°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Time your trip to Clearwater Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Tadpole Lake is 0.7 miles off. For Clearwater Lake in particular, ask before you travel.