Clear Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota113 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Clear Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Clear Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 112.62 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2002 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Clear Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 18–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Clear Lake is a 113-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 24 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Clear Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 26
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Clear Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Clear Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Clear Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Clear Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Clear Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 73°F) and coldest in Sep (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (73°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2022–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Clear Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2002 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Clear Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 18–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Clear Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2002-06-24 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2002-06-24 (Standard Survey)
24 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 22.94 | 1–6 in 2002-06-24 | 0.12 lb |
| Bluegill | 6.60 | 3–9 in 2002-06-24 | 0.2 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.79 | 4–10 in 2002-06-24 | 0.23 lb |
| White Sucker | 3.50 | 12–20 in 2002-06-24 | 2.38 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.19 | 12–30 in 2002-06-24 | 4.75 lb |
| Walleye | 1.15 | 18–25 in 2002-06-24 | 4.28 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Black Crappie
White Sucker
From the 2002-06-24 survey
Clear Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 13, which consists of 84 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small, shallow, and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Clear Lake ranks as mesotrophic according to Carlson's Trophic State Index.Clear Lake has no inlets or outlet. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Clear Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ClearFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
24 ft
Surface area
113 acres
Shoreline
3.1 mi
Littoral zone
86%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,490 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Clear Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Clear Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Clear Lake
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Follow Clear Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Clear Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 26
Earliest Mar 30, 2010 · Latest May 9, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 21
Earliest Nov 5, 2002 · Latest Nov 29, 2024
Most recent ice-out
May 1
2025
17 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Clear Lake
Where is Clear Lake?
- Clear Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Clear Lake?
- Clear Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 112.62 acres.
Is Clear Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Clear Lake?
- Clear Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Clear Lake?
- Clear Lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 112.62 acres.
What fish are in Clear Lake?
- Fish species found in Clear Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Clear Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Clear Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2002 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Clear Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 18–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Clear Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Clear Lake thaw?
- Clear Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 26. Ice typically forms around Nov 21. The open water season is approximately 209 days.
Can I fish at Clear Lake?
- Public access to Clear Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
21 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA21 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate