Deep Lake (Clearwater County)

Clearwater County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 15009000

DNR records show 15 stocking entries at Deep Lake (Clearwater County) since 2016, most recently rainbow trout yearlings in 2025 (2,100 fish).

• Deep Lake (Clearwater County) has 15 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (15).
• The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 48,047 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 76 ft; surface area 40 acres, 12 littoral acres, 1.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.5 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, rainbow trout, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: June 14, 2022 (standard survey).
• Clearwater County, nearest town Clearbrook; DNR lake number (DOW) 15009000.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/8/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2022

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.

Deep Lake is a 40-acre lake located just east of the city of Clearbrook in Clearwater County. There is a County-owned public water access located on the southeast end of the lake with parking for approximately 5 vehicles/trailers. Deep Lake is managed as a two-story fishery with Rainbow Trout, sunfish species, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike present in the lake. The diversity of species offers anglers a few options in case the trout don't feel like biting. Deep is not a designated stream trout lake, however anglers should be aware that a trout stamp is required if they want to harvest trout. Deep Lake has been stocked with 4,700 yearling Rainbow Trout annually since 2008. These fish are typically 9 to 11 inches in length at the time of stocking. The 2022 catch rate of 8/gill net was up from 4/gill net in the previous survey (2017). Reports of good trout fishing including catches of larger, carry-over fish are received by the area fisheries office each year. The largest Rainbow Trout captured in this survey measured over 20 inches in length. Deep Lake has become a popular winter destination for trout anglers in recent years. Thankfully, Northern Pike numbers have remained low in Deep Lake since the resumption of trout stocking in 2008 as they can be very effective predators of stocked trout. The largest pike captured in the 2022 survey was over 34 inches in length although larger fish have been caught by anglers or speared in recent years. Deep Lake has become a popular destination for Northern Pike spearing as well. The 2022 Bluegill catch rate of 9/trap net was down from 2017 (34/trap net). Twenty five percent of the bluegill catch exceeded 7 inches with a few fish approaching 9 inches in length captured. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass are present in the lake but their catch rates have been very low in most surveys. Black Crappie up to 11 inches in length were captured in the 2022 survey.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, June 14, 2022.

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