Cleary Lake
Scott County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 70002200
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Cleary Lake since 2023, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (500,000 fish).
- Cleary Lake has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2023-2024): walleye (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,000,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 9 ft, mean depth 5 ft; surface area 145 acres, 149 littoral acres, 3.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Scott County, nearest town Prior Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 70002200.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 500,000 | 5.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 500,000 | 4.2 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | county | - Within Three Rivers Park District's Cleary Lake Park. Boat ramp on south shore west of main parking lots & buildings. Fee to park vehicle-boat trailer combinations (system-wide season passes are available). No fee for shore/pier fishing. |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 100.00 | 200 | 0.19 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 66.00 | 132 | 0.13 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 13.50 | 27 | 0.11 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 8.50 | 17 | 0.66 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 8 | 0.19 |
| Green sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.20 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 31.00 | 279 | 0.13 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 20.00 | 180 | 0.25 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.15 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.12 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.13 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.68 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.09 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.12 |
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.
Cleary Lake is a shallow, productive 149-acre lake located near Prior Lake, Scott County. The lake is located entirely within Cleary Lake Regional Park, operated by the Three Rivers Park District. There is a boat launch; however only electric motors are allowed. The lake is managed for Bluegill and for Largemouth Bass. The fish community can be described as "boom-bust" because environmental factors such as high water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, and overly abundant aquatic vegetation make it difficult to establish a consistent, quality fishery. Largemouth Bass are very abundant in Cleary. Although their size is moderate, these bass grew at a very fast rate are capable of reaching quality sizes within two years. Fish ranged between 9.4 and 13.8 inches in length, with an average size of 10.9 inches and 0.7 pounds. Bluegill are also highly abundant in Cleary, and of moderate size. Fish length ranged from 3.0 to 8.5 inches, and average size was 5.4 inches and 0.13 pounds. Only 2% of the fish exceed 7 inches. However, the Bluegill grew exceptionally fast and could reach quality size within 2 years. Golden Shiner and Black Bullhead were also sampled abundantly in Cleary.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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