Clear Lake (Martin County)
Martin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 46009600
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Clear Lake (Martin County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (133,500 fish).
- Clear Lake (Martin County) has 7 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (6), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 934,571 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 7 ft; surface area 267 acres, 267 littoral acres, 2.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 0.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, orangespotted sunfish, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Martin County, nearest town Ceylon; DNR lake number (DOW) 46009600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 133,508 | 1.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.1 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 140,000 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | Yellow Perch | adults | 330 | 66.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 260,563 | 2.5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | STATE OWNED ACCESS ON THE SOUTH END OF THE LAKE. |
| gravel ramp | county | COUNTY OWNED ACCESS ON NORTH SIDE OF LAKE |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 158.67 | 1,428 | 0.01 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 17.22 | 155 | 0.18 |
| White crappie | Standard trap nets | 16.33 | 147 | 0.25 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 7.12 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 6.10 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.15 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 4.59 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.04 |
| White crappie | Standard gill nets | 120.00 | 360 | 0.13 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 95.33 | 286 | 0.06 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 13.67 | 41 | 0.30 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 10.67 | 32 | 2.30 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 9 | 1.97 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 9 | 4.45 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 9 | 4.68 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 9 | 0.21 |
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 261-acres, lake located toward the top of the watershed, in Martin County near the City of Ceylon. Clear Lake has a maximum depth of seven feet and is in a watershed that is comprised primarily of agriculture (90 percent). Because it is in an agricultural watershed, water quality is typically poor despite having a relatively small watershed (3.4 to 1 watershed to lake ratio). Clear Lake is managed primarily for Walleye and secondarily for Yellow Perch, Black and White Crappie. Clear Lake was surveyed in the week of July 14, 2025 to monitor fish populations using three gill nets and nine trap nets. Walleye catch rates have steadily increased, going from 2.7 per gill net in 2016 to 6.7 per gill net in 2020 to 10.4 per gill net in 2025. The 2025 Walleye catch rate of 10.4 per gill net was within the expected of catch rates for similar lakes (2.3 to 18.1 per gill net). Catch rates of Walleye in Clear Lake have been highly variable, ranging from 2.7 per gill net in 2016 to 41.0 per gill net in 1991 and have averaged 12.6 per gill net over all surveys. Year classes sampled included age-2, age-3, age-8, and age-11 (2023, 2022, 2017, and 2014 year classes). The 2023-year class (age-6) accounted for 50 percent of aged Walleye, with all year classes corresponding to stocking years, except the 2022 year class (age-3), which accounted for 13 percent of the Walleye aged. Walleye lengths ranged from 13.2 to 27.4 inches and averaged 18.3 inches. Walleye growth appears to be fast at young ages, as age-2 Walleye averaged 14.4 inches and slower at older ages as age-8 walleye averaged 18.8 inches in length. The management goal was met because the catch rate was above 10.0 per gill net. A steady increase in Walleye catch rates since 2016 indicates that the current stocking regime of 1 of 2 years at 500 per littoral acre is effective at meeting management goals. The Yellow Perch catch rate in 2025 was 13.7 per gill net, the highest catch rate since the mid-1990's, and within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.7 to 25.0 per gill net). Adult Yellow Perch (N=330) stocked in 2017 may have been effective at reestablishing a self-sustaining Yellow Perch population. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 4.1 to 10.2 inches and averaged 8.3 inches. A fishable population of Yellow Perch is present in Clear Lake. The Black Crappie catch rate in 2025 was 17.2 per trap net which was within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.2 to 20.5 per trap net). Lengths of Black Crappie ranged from 3.8 to 10.5 inches and averaged 6.4 inches. The…
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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