Clear Lake (Sherburne County)
Sherburne County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 71015300
Clear Lake (Sherburne County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Clear Lake (Sherburne County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 30 ft, mean depth 15 ft; surface area 113 acres, 50 littoral acres, 1.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Sherburne County, nearest town Clearwater; DNR lake number (DOW) 71015300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
DNR fish survey, 2009
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 19.73 | 17 | 2.01 |
| Black crappie | Standard electrofishing | 2.32 | 2 | 0.36 |
| Walleye | Standard electrofishing | 1.16 | 1 | 3.25 |
| Brassy minnow | Survey seining | 10.00 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 6.00 | 18 | 0.01 |
| Johnny darter | Survey seining | 5.00 | 15 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Survey seining | 3.00 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 0.67 | 2 | 0.01 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 8.75 | 35 | 1.17 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 28 | 0.19 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 6 | 5.18 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 4 | 1.30 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 3 | 0.29 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 5.29 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.17 | 19 | 0.29 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 5 | 0.07 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.38 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 3.53 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.31 |
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 a small (120 acres), moderately deep (30 feet maximum) natural environment lake located three miles southeast of the town of the same name. The lake received low priority for management because it has never had a public access. However, dramatic changes have occurred over the last score of years. Landowners report high water, an influx of carp, then an exodus of the same species and nearly a complete loss of aquatic vegetation. These changes seemed to take place in the early 1980's. A survey in 2009 showed submersed vegetation was rare though water clarity was high. It showed few sunfish or northern pike yet walleye were captured at 8.75/gill net. A 1946 DNR report lists cattail, large-leaf pondweed, muskgrass, buttercup, coontail, milfoil, and large areas of bulrush. The 1954 and 1978 surveys reported similar types and amounts of aquatic vegetation. In 2009, only curlyleaf pondweed was widespread, found on 70% of vegetation transects. All species of aquatic plants were rare. Narrow-leaf, sago, large-leaf, straight-leaf, Illinois, and bushy pondweed were all observed in fewer than 20% of vegetation transects. A single water sample was collected on 7/27/09 and analyzed by the MDA. Results were: total phosphorous, 0.012 ppm; chlorophyll a, 3.6. A single secchi disc depth in early July was 11 feet. Carlson TSI values were 40, 43 and 43, consistent with meso-trophic conditions. Previous surveys conducted in 1954 and 1978 showed high numbers of bullheads and bluegills, and good numbers of other sunfish and northern pike. For example, the 1978 survey showed 147 bluegill/trap net while the 2009 survey caught bluegill at a rate of 0.50/trap net. Walleye in Clear Lake apparently reproduce naturally since no stocking occurs. Walleye ranged in length from 8 - 24 inches with an average length of 15 inches. Four age groups of walleye were sampled. All but two fish were from the 2003 and 2007 year classes. The success of spawning walleye is likely the result of suitable substrate and low numbers of panfish that might otherwise prey on young walleye fry. Growth of walleye was fast and walleye grew to a length of 14 inches in two years. The catch of northern pike (1.5/gill net) was below the first quartile and the catch of black crappie was within the range of expected values. The catch of yellow perch (6.75/gill) was within the range of expected values for lake class 29. Yellow perch grew to eight inches by age 4. Daytime electrofishing on May 21st, 2009 produced a catch per unit of effort of 20 fish/hour. Largemouth bass averaged 14.0 inches in length…
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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