Clitherall Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Clitherall Lake Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Clitherall Lake covers 2,508 acres in Minnesota, across Otter Tail County. It is a lake: 93.6% of it is 51 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 60 feet (18.3 m). Our records hold 15 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 60 ft (18.3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 93.6% of the water is 51 feet or shallower. We hold 108 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–3 ft: 4.8% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 8% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 4.6% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 4% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 4.8% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 8.6% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 7.7% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 3.9% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 4.4% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 45–48 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 48–51 ft: 5.6% of the water
  • 51–54 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 54–57 ft: 2.3% of the water
  • 57–60 ft: 0.6% of the water

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.

Also recorded here: Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, Cisco, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin, Common Carp.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 10.9–20 feet on our readings, averaging 15.2 feet, from 143 readings. Our water temperature readings average 68°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.5. These readings span 2017–2025.

Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP 2021
USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP 2021 aerial imagery (USGS The National Map) · Public domain

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

  • Clitherall Lake Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: reported depths: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.