Cleary Lake Fishing Guide, Scott County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Scott County, Minnesota, this is Cleary Lake. It lies 935 feet above sea level. At about 148 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 2.8 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. Prior Lake is the closest town at 2.1 miles. Then Savage, 6.5 miles, and Burnsville, 7.6 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Cleary Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Species logged across Scott County include bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Cleary Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 72°F and January near 12°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from early April until about early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Cleary Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. There is a mapped landing stage half a mile away. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Markley Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Cleary Lake in what we hold.