Clear Lake Iowa Fishing Reports

[bryguy247]

Have fun checking all the info below and let's swap info. We'd hope to hear from you too.

Iowa Fishing reports - Click here for even more NW Iowa info

Any action on Clear lake going with the open water? Yellow Bass? Walleyes?

Also, when are they going to be done dredging the Bay?

[Rip_Some_Lip]

Take a look at the fishing section on the Iowa DNR site. There is a story about a 30# 47" Musky caught by a guy on his first cast of the year. It was witnessed by a CO and the CO helped him land and release it.

[KabNam]

The bite has been real slow so far with all this cold weather. There have been a few walleyes and that nice 47" muskie caught in little lake with Ventura Marsh flowing in there. Dredging is not supposed to be done until this fall.

[SHANTY]

clear lake got hit hard over the last few years. they had a real goot year class that got fished out. clear lake will be slow for years to come for walleyes. were is the slot limit for the lake?

[bryguy247]

I believe the slot is still 14" - 22" with only one over 22" with a daily limit of 3, but don't quote me on that. I think the lake should fish great. Last year we went in April and we had a good day, but 75% of the fish we caught were to small to keep. So if everyone is playing by the rules, than there should be a new batch growing into that slot limit this year. As for catching any of great size, I would say is not that great. Our largest fish last year was 19", with the keepers right at the 15" mark. You couldn't keep those yellow bass off the line, so it was fun.

[delmuts]

From the regs.

"Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County

All walleye must be over 14 inches in length.

Keep only one walleye over 22 inches in length"

[SHANTY]

i would like to see the slot 14 to 18 or maybe 20. hopefully the fishing will pick up

[Esox_Magnum]

Maybe they should adopt the same regs the IGL's are bound to. 3 fish limit, no mim lenth ( personaly I wish we still had a 14" min) 17-22 protected slot ( wish this had been set to 24" or better) only 1 over 22

[bryguy247]

A tight slot limit wouldn't bother me at all. I like eating the little ones and throwing the big ones back anyways. Some days we throw everything back anyways. I just like to fish. Its the sport!!!

[SHANTY]

i agree bryguy!

[Whisker Trout Slayer]

A buddy of mine last Tuesday, I think the same day the musky was caught, caught and released a 29" walleye.

[bryguy247]

Nice!! I think I am gonna try on the weekend of the 11th and 12th to see what we can do. I'll let ya know how we do

[KabNam]

A few warm days again will certainly help turn the bite on.

[SHANTY]

CLEAR LAKE WALLEYES ARE FISHED OUT!

[iowaperch44]

Thats not true. We caught about a hundred saturday that were five to thirteen and a half inches lol. Out of all those fish we did get one keeper that was 18inches but that is pretty bad that we could only pull one keeper in. But on the good side it seems they have a good class of those that are a half an inch short which should be legal here soon, but it probably wont take long for them to get fished out. They definatly need to do something to this lake so this wont be a problem i think a slot would be the best thing for it i mean look at how spirit lake is.

[Esox_Magnum]

Now all you catch on Spirit is 12" and under or 17" and over lol

[SHANTY]

Thats not true. We caught about a hundred saturday that were five to thirteen and a half inches lol. Out of all those fish we did get one keeper that was 18inches but that is pretty bad that we could only pull one keeper in. But on the good side it seems they have a good class of those that are a half an inch short which should be legal here soon, but it probably wont take long for them to get fished out. They definatly need to do something to this lake so this wont be a problem i think a slot would be the best thing for it i mean look at how spirit lake is.

We fished it hard all winter and spring. yes we caught a few keepers... but not many for all the hours we put in. Legal walleyes on clear lake are few and far between. FISHED OUT! I talked to 3 clear lake DNR this weekend and they say the same thing. talk to the DNR and other fisher man that know and fish the lake hard... wish it was not true:(

catch and release!

slot limit!

will be traveling to other lakes

[SHANTY]

Clear lake iowa made the news today. DNR reports that the keeper size walleyes are fished out!

[iowaperch44]

I highly doubt they came out and made a news story on this. I looked on the kimt HSOforum and i never saw any story of this sort.

[JIvers]

Clear lake iowa made the news today. DNR reports that the keeper size walleyes are fished out!

Could you provide a link to the "news" in question?

[PerchPounder]

Im assuming it was sarcasm.

[SHANTY]

This is true! Some one had to watch the the news? Help me out here!? It was on mid-day and at 1015pm. It was the highlight of the news today 5/14.

They report numbers are way way down. Few keeper eyes and a bad year classes to come. They blamed it on heavy fishing pressure, water quality, and the floods. People are bailing out of the walleye classic! Saying....its a waist of time and no fun fishing in a tourny when we are not cathcing anything. People are going to other lakes.

i also went to kimt.com and could not find the story!? idk y because it was a cover story for the news. Word will get around

[Esox_Magnum]

Since it's a stocked fisherie it will be back soon. People swore there was no decent eyes left here either, spring netting proved otherwise.

[SHANTY]

DNR had to gill net spirt because they could not get enough walleyes.... that alone should tell us something. I did talk to the DNR and they said they did net a few big ones but not very many and the numbers were not there. If you watched the news you would of heard that. also they said that the fry walleye didnt do well at all do to the floods. numbers are way down, and walleye fishing is proving to be a waist of time on clear lake. Wait for walleye classic results....

[Esox_Magnum]

It will rebound, walleyes run in cycles anyway. They always net Spirit, not just when Clear doesn't produce. I help net the IGL's and East, West and Spirit are netted, depending on weather one always outdoes the others. Maybe the yellow bass eat all the fry who knows.