Fishing Clearwater Lake in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Clearwater Lake is listed under Lake County, Minnesota. The surface lies 1,493 feet up. At 636 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. You are looking at roughly 5.2 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Size puts it in the front rank of our Lake County list. Nearest town is Ely, 16 miles off. Babbitt is 23 miles away, with Hoyt Lakes at 38 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Clearwater Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Clearwater Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 65°F on average, January about 4°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Clearwater Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There are toilets half a mile off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Camdre Lake, 0.8 miles out. For Clearwater Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.