Clear Lake (Koochiching County)
Koochiching County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 36001100
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Clear Lake (Koochiching County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (62,000 fish).
- Clear Lake (Koochiching County) has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 76,746 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 30 ft; surface area 89 acres, 62 littoral acres, 2.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Koochiching County, nearest town Gemmell; DNR lake number (DOW) 36001100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1941 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 62,000 | 0.7 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 945 | 63.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,102 | 61.8 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,720 | 124.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,348 | 124.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,631 | 186.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | county | - A county access is located on the south side of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 27.56 | 248 | 0.27 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 4.44 | 40 | 0.30 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 1.39 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.80 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.16 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.60 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 15.75 | 63 | 1.95 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 40 | 0.16 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 5.25 | 21 | 0.56 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 2 | 0.20 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.24 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 13.32 | 19 | 0.51 |
| Walleye | Standard electrofishing | 3.50 | 5 | 0.09 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Clear Lake is located approximately two miles southeast of Gemmel, Minnesota. This class-13 lake has a surface area of 88 acres, with 70 percent being less than 15 feet deep and a maximum depth of 30 feet. Clear Lake was likely named for its water clarity and had a Secchi transparency reading of 15 feet during the 2025 survey. The surrounding watershed is mixed hardwood and conifer forest on gently rolling hills. Clear Lake has experienced periodic winterkills in the past, but there was no evidence of a winterkill occurring in recent years. Koochiching County owns and maintains a public access, which is located on the southeast shore off County Road 25. A standard survey was completed in 2025 which included gill nets, standard trap nets, and spring electrofishing targeting Largemouth Bass to evaluate Walleye stocking, assess the fish community, and to inform anglers. Fishing regulations follow statewide regulations for inland waters. Previous management plans have identified several long-range goals including providing a diverse fishery with Walleye as the primary management species and Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike as secondary management species. Clear Lake has had a long history of Walleye stocking. The population was established with fry stocking in the late 1940's and several stocking strategies have been attempted which included varying stocking rates and life stages of Walleye with mixed results. No Walleye were sampled in gill nets during the 2025 survey and the management goal was not met and hasn't been net in recent surveys. Similar lakes typically produce decent Walleye populations and there are likely several factors limiting the success of Walleye, including a high abundance of Northern Pike leading to increased predation, especially with the good water clarity that Clear Lake is known for. The stocking strategy was switched from fingerlings to fry in 2025. Fry stocking has the potential of creating a boom year-class which should help alleviate the predation pressure from pike and allow for recruitment to the fishery. Northern Pike gill net catch rate was 15.8 fish per net, which was well above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 13.7 to 33.7 inches, with an average length of 20.2 inches. Average weight was 2.0 pounds, which was average compared to similar lakes. A total of seven year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 2 to 8 years. The majority of Northern Pike (71 percent) were from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 year-classes and it appears that a strong year-class was produced in 2019 accounting…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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