Clearwater Lake (Itasca County)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31040200
Clearwater Lake (Itasca County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Clearwater Lake (Itasca County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 76 acres, 42 littoral acres, 1.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, brown bullhead, golden redhorse, green sunfish, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Taconite; DNR lake number (DOW) 31040200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | county | At Clearwater Creek road crossing on Co Rd 60, south of Clearwater Lake. - Limited parking available. |
DNR fish survey, 2012
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.50 | 21 | 1.15 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 6 | 0.05 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 5 | 2.04 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 2.52 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 0.04 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.92 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 8 | 0.04 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 4 | 0.13 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 4 | 1.18 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 2 | 0.03 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 2 | 0.23 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 1 | 1.23 |
| Golden redhorse | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 1 | 5.51 |
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.
Clearwater Lake, also known as Tadpole Lake, is located about eleven miles north of Grand Rapids, MN and within the Mississippi River Watershed. The small lake is 68 acres with 1.5 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 38 feet. There are two inlets, Clearwater Creek from Wabana Lake and Hanson Creek from the Hanson Lake chain, and one outlet, Clearwater Creek, to the Prairie River. It is likely the outlet connectivity to Prairie River that facilitates seasonal fish passage while a low head dam at Wabana Lake acts like a fish barrier and beaver dams along Hanson Creek likely prevent fish passage. Access is gained from Clearwater Creek at the County Road 60 crossing. Northern pike were the most numerous fish sampled in gill nets at a rate of 10.5/net, exceeding the expected range for lakes similar to Clearwater Lake. The catch was similar to the previous assessment in 1965 (7.5/gill net). Lengths ranged from 13.1 to 30 inches with a mean length of 17.2. Size structure was poor, similar to the previous assessment, with one fish sampled exceeding 20 inches. Scale and bone analysis identified ages 1 through 4 and 6 present in the sample suggesting relatively consistent recruitment. Ages 1 and 2 comprised 70% of the sample suggesting the population is dominated by small, young individuals. Averaged growth was similar to the statewide average. Neascus was observed on all sampled northern pike. Walleye were captured at a rate of 2.5/gill net, within the expected range, while there are no records of them ever being stocked. Walleye were not observed in the initial assessment. Lengths ranged from 18.4 to 20 inches, and scale and bone analysis determined the ages were from 5 to 7. Growth was similar to the statewide average with walleye averaging 17.7 inches by age-5. The modest walleye population is likely a product of connectivity to Prairie River. One of the five sampled walleye had a possible fin punch from an upstream fish passage project at CoRd 49, however the mark was inconclusive. Neascus was observed on four of the five sampled walleye. Bluegill were sampled at a rate of 3.0/gill net and 1.0/trap net. Size structure was poor and likely of little interest to anglers. Bluegill had a mean length of 4.5 inches in the gill net sample and 5.3 inches in the trap net sample. Pumpkinseed were the most numerous species sampled in trap nets, at a rate of 2.0/trap net near the expected range. These fish were small with lengths from 3.3 to 4.3 inches. Other species sampled included brown bullhead, golden redhorse, green sunfish, rock bass, and white sucker.
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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