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Clear Lake Fishing Report, Iowa

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Clear Lake: a shallow 3,684-acre lake in Cerro Gordo County where Iowa DNR stocks millions of walleye fry each spring, protects walleye from 17 to 22 inches and stocks muskellunge.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Gauge
4.64 ft
Air / High
72 / 72 F
Wind
SSE 16 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05460000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Clear Lake feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The gauge reads 4.64 ft, easing 0.06 over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 16 mph, falling pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 72. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

CrappieGood

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Similar at 75 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Iowa requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $22.00 for residents. What a Iowa licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with Iowa DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Iowa, read off the agency, are on the Iowa seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Clear Lake at Clear Lake, IA.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05460000.

4.554.694.834.64 ft09/2410/0410/1410/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp72 F
High / Low72 / 53 F
WindSSE 16-24 mph
Pressure1018.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 9%
Sunrise / Sunset07:37 / 18:17
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Clear Lake this week

Today is the pick of the week on Clear Lake, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM
Minor period
4:12 AM-5:12 AM
Sun
07:37 to 18:17
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 17 mph
Rain chance
9%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Clear Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

When to come: the Clear Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Clear Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Iowa requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Iowa license. Iowa DNR rules for Clear Lake (2026 regulations booklet and Iowa Administrative Code chapter 81, read 2026-10-19): walleye 3 a day, 6 in possession, release all 17–22-inch fish, one over 22 inches; muskellunge 1 at 40 inches; black bass 3 at 15 inches; northern pike 3; crappie 25 and bluegill 25; catfish 8 combined; yellow and white bass no limit. No snagging, bow fishing or spearing from the Ventura Grade roadway, jetties and bridges.

Access

Public ramps, a fishing jetty and an accessible pier (Iowa DNR); Clear Lake State Park and McIntosh Woods State Park on the shore.

About this water

A 3,684-acre natural lake, maximum depth about 18 ft, in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.

Fishing Clear Lake: the full guide

A big, shallow lake

Iowa DNR lists Clear Lake at 3,684 surface acres with a maximum depth of 18.1 feet (2013 survey), no motoring restrictions, and Clear Lake State Park and McIntosh Woods State Park on its shores. The DNR's 2013 depth map gives a mean depth of 10.1 feet for the main lake, without Little Clear Lake. The DNR's amenity list includes hard-surface ramps, a fishing jetty, an accessible pier, a fish-cleaning station, boat rental and camping.

Walleye under a protected slot

Every walleye from 17 to 22 inches must go back immediately, and only one fish over 22 inches may be kept a day. The DNR's 2026 summary expects most walleye caught this year to fall inside that slot. Stocking is heavy: about 14 million walleye fry and 16,201 fingerlings of about 9 inches in 2025, and between 12.8 and 17.2 million fry a year from 2019 to 2024.

Yellow bass, muskies and panfish

In its October 1, 2026 report the DNR rated yellow bass fishing excellent, on small jigs, crawlers and cut bait along the outside edges of the vegetation beds, and muskellunge good, with fall the time to cast near docks and weeds. The DNR stocked 600 muskellunge in 2025 and channel catfish in 2024, and its lake summary also names crappie, bluegill and channel catfish among the lake's opportunities.

Common questions

What is the walleye slot at Clear Lake?

All walleye from 17 to 22 inches must be released immediately, the daily limit is 3, and only one walleye over 22 inches may be kept. Iowa DNR expects most 2026 catches to fall inside the slot.

Is the muskie fishery stocked?

Yes. Iowa DNR's stocking log shows muskellunge stocked in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025 (600 fish in 2025), and the minimum length is 40 inches.

How deep is Clear Lake?

Shallow for its size: Iowa DNR records a maximum depth of 18.1 feet across 3,684 acres, and a mean depth of about 10 feet.

Is fishing good at Clear Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Root River85 miSpirit Lake89 miEast Okoboji Lake89 miLake Okoboji90 miWhitewater River94 miStorm Lake97 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 05460000 β€” Clear Lake at Clear Lake, IA
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 43.1300, -93.4000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 19, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 19, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.