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Posted

Whats the story with this lake? I saw that the dnr did some stocking in 2007, i thought they were letting this lake go. Plus I have been seeing a couple of icehouses out there the past couple winters!

Posted

You might also want to post this in the Southwest MN Forum as well. Gibbon's in kind of a weird area. Not a lot of lakes and that area's really not well covered by a specific forum.

Posted

Doesn't look like they put in a large number of fish really, maybe just had an excess of fry and wanted to take a gamble? In the past it has had some great fishing.

I know there was a fish kill out there last winter (or maybe the winter before) and some very large walleyes washed up on shore.

Posted

Clear lake was double stocked, and had very nice fish in it until the winterkill, Man, were there some dandies in that lake. It was a sad day when I saw all those nice Wallys laying on shore. That was 4-5 years ago. (I know riverrat, time flies). It might be a good "sleeper" lake. I haven't fished it for years, but i know there are still bullheads in it. mmmmmmmm....whiskers.

Posted

Thanks for setting me straight Pyrex!

I have heard of a few isolated reports of 1 or 2 big walleyes being caught last summer and the summer before, so maybe a number of fish survived?

Posted

There were dead walleyes on shore after the winter of 07/08, but I didn't see enough to think it was a total kill.

Posted

That was what I was thinking of 88fan, most of them were nice fish too if I remeber right?

Posted

Yes, like 3-5 pounds.

Posted

Just going to have to give it a try sometime!

Posted

Clear is my "home" lake and is a very interesting one too. It had a major winterkill in the winter of 2000-2001 and then was restocked. Fishing was good in 04-05 and has slowly fizzled after that. Two winters ago (07-08) there was a winterkill also, I would say a strong partial kill. Lots of 18-24" eyes washed up dead. I also found a few along the shoreline this year when it opened up, but I would guess it was a very minor winterkill this past year. There are walleyes in there, but it is a very hard lake to fish. Bullheads and carp dominate the lake, and there is a ton of bait(minnows, orange spotted sunfish, etc.) Live Bait fishing is almost impossible with the bullheads and the water is extremely brown/discolored which makes crankbaits even diffulcult to fish.

I will be out there trying it now and then this summer as I have my whole life. Hope this helps and let us know if you try it!

Posted

Clear is my "home" lake and is a very interesting one too. It had a major winterkill in the winter of 2000-2001 and then was restocked. Fishing was good in 04-05 and has slowly fizzled after that. Two winters ago (07-08) there was a winterkill also, I would say a strong partial kill. Lots of 18-24" eyes washed up dead. I also found a few along the shoreline this year when it opened up, but I would guess it was a very minor winterkill this past year. There are walleyes in there, but it is a very hard lake to fish. Bullheads and carp dominate the lake, and there is a ton of bait(minnows, orange spotted sunfish, etc.) Live Bait fishing is almost impossible with the bullheads and the water is extremely brown/discolored which makes crankbaits even diffulcult to fish.

I will be out there trying it now and then this summer as I have my whole life. Hope this helps and let us know if you try it!

Great information. If the water doesn't get too low, you'll see me over there once or twice.

  • 2 years later...
Posted

Has anyone heard much lately here?

Posted

The last 2 winters hit clear really hard! Tried it a few times this year with out a fish of any kind to show for it.

  • 2 months later...
Posted

Anyone try it yet? Im going to hit it this weekend.

Posted

I have fished this lake quite a few times in the past 3 years.

The last few I did pretty good.

Last spring I went to Clear a few days after the opener. I fished for approx 5 hours with no fish. While loading the boat a fellow came over and asked if I caught any fish and I said no, didn't even mark one.

he said with the winter kill this last spring, many eyes were dead on shore all over the lake. Is this true I do not know but I went back one more time, fished my locationg I always did well at and nada.

Have not been back since. last trip there about the 1st of June,2011.

Usmtsrocks

In regards to using cranks in the open water, I have killed the eyes there on crankbaits so yes, they are very effective. One simply needs to find the correct color and size but the eye do go well on cranks on Clear.

Posted

I haven't seen one soul out ice fishing Clear this winter and I frequently drive by the lake.

I witnessed the winter kill firsthand this spring. Numerous 15"-17" dead walleyes on shore. I never heard if it was a total winterkill, however.

Posted

I've cought a few nice walleyes out of there, but i've been skunked plenty of times too.

Posted

I would not doubt at all there there are a few fish left. But, it surely is not what it was.

Probably some pigs swimming in this lake, one just has to be willing to spend alot of time to find a few.

Posted

There was a minor winter kill last year. The oxygen levels did drop a little and it hurt some. I have seen a couple houses out there this year but they didnt catch anything. I havent tried it yet this year but am gonna try it soon. There are a lot of 8 to 9 inch eyes in there

  • 6 years later...
Posted

Anyone know how this lake is lately?  Ive read somewhere the DNR did a stocking last year. Would like to know a bit about the lake.  Thinking about hitting it up here soon.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      🙄 oh yea.....like your a picnic on the beach!!!!!!! 🤣
    • leech~~
      Hey, he seems to like starting pissing matches, everywhere!  😒 😉
    • Wanderer
      Hey now, that one is all you!  Haha!  Don’t make another thread septic. 😉      Yup, the Looper Bug.  I couldn’t remember that catchy name for it.  2lb test is a little crazy, especially for the line quality back then but I can see that being a thing too.  Such clear water.  Looking down the hole watching the fish swim around and them looking back at you.  The further out I got, the easier it was for them to see me.   My one looper charged in when my jig was just below the ice while I was laying face down like you said.  It hit basically right in front of my face.  The fight was me rolling over and pulling it out of the hole.  That was shortly before the guys in the shallows packed up their little black shelters and left with their fish.     So, by the end of the day I learned: black looper bug; light line; conceal movement; and/or fish shallow.  And then never went back.
    • leech~~
      Cuz like I said, he was breaking off a lot and they were like gold at the time.  Guys an't giving up anything when combat fishing, I'm sure he pissed off some folks running around jumping in and out of open holes. 😉
    • smurfy
      🤔why didnt ya "leech" some of them black flies from the guy!!!!!🤗😂   awe come on....wanderer would of said it too!!!!😉
    • leech~~
      Au, yes the black fly, aka the looper bug.  I remember the first time I was introduced to it.  There must have been 20-30 guys out in front of the French on the ice. This one guy was running from hole to hole and pulling fish, but he was also breaking off a lot.  When I finally got close to him, he said he had 2lb line and just the bug on the end and jigging.  I think I had about 6lb line and some jig with waxies.  I jumped in my Suv and buzzed up to the bait store in Two harbors "which is closed now" to get new line and bugs.  By the time I got back and fishing again the bite must have been over!  Spent the rest of the day laying on the ice staring down the hole, ton's of fish went by but not bite!! ☹️    I used to get up at like 3:00am to drive up from Brooklyn Center, fish until dark and drive home.  When I had more of the wander spirit.  Heck I remember when I had no brains or money in the spring, getting up at like 2:30am, driving up and fishing every stream for about an hour that I could get to from Duluth to Grand Marais.  Then driving all the way home the same day.  🤪
    • Kettle
      Last day of myself hunting before I help my friend with new clients. Back on the bigger marsh, mainly teal but 5 fulvous whistling ducks. A medium size duck but they fly and decoy like Canada geese, big circles and glide in. They are noisey birds
    • Hookmaster
      Kettle, sounds like an awesome trip. Never see drake bluewings in MN during the season. For the bridge my pucker factor would've been 11, and that's walking across both ways!!
    • Wanderer
      Gotta love META, right????  Naw, they ain’t tracking’…   
    • Wanderer
      I did the looper steelhead thing in front of the French River once.  It was fun. I got one looper but the sight fishing aspect of it was the most fun.   We saw a couple guys limit on steelhead up close to shore and learned the black fly was the way to catch ‘em.  We didn’t have any.   My first 40+ hour day that I can remember.  Went to work Friday morning, Van Halen concert Friday night, too jacked up on the way home to call it a day so we loaded up for the North Shore.  Fished all day, drove home Saturday night.     Those crazy kids…   Chequamegon Bay and the Apostle Islands have always been a want but an undone deed.  The wander spirit has faded from my old traveling buds.  They like to stick to what they know now.
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