Clear Lake (Otter Tail County)
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56055900
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Clear Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (153,000 fish).
- Clear Lake (Otter Tail County) has 8 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,072,740 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 29 ft; surface area 399 acres, 153 littoral acres, 4.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Dalton; DNR lake number (DOW) 56055900.
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 | 153,000 | 1.4 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 153,000 | 1.3 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 153,000 | 1.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 153,000 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 153,000 | 1.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 153,000 | 1.3 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 153,000 | 1.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 1,740 | 480.0 |
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 |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 120.11 | 1,081 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | 50-ft beach seine | 2.78 | 25 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 2.11 | 19 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 1.56 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 1.56 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 0.56 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 0.44 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 24.52 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 15.94 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 11.04 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 4.90 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 2.45 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 2.78 | 25 | 0.47 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 2.22 | 20 | 2.04 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 2.82 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 2.22 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.12 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.02 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.97 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Clear Lake was conducted beginning on June 24, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sampling stations, and a 50-foot seine was used to sample 9 stations. Sampling was difficult at 1 station, which was not seined because site conditions prevented wading. Nearshore sampling captured 12 species of fish, including 3 species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, and Iowa Darter) and 1 species that is tolerant of disturbance (Fathead Minnow). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 10 species of fish, including 1 species that is intolerant of disturbance (Smallmouth Bass). Bluegill and Northern Pike comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a survey conducted in August of 2023 to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, and Iowa Darter), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Fathead Minnow and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Pomme de Terre River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. Clear Lake supports several game fish species, especially Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye. Additionally, the sunfish size structure in Clear Lake is impressive. However, the low numbers of shiners and darters collected in the nearshore…
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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