Clearwater Lake Fishing near Chisholm, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, sits Clearwater Lake. The country here is rolling bush. The water covers some 73 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 1.5 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Supplies mean a trip to Chisholm, 8.1 miles off. Then Hibbing, 10 miles, and Keewatin, 12 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Clearwater Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Saint Louis County list yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The shape of Clearwater Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 5°F in January and 66°F in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On Clearwater Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Loven Lake at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Clearwater Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.