Clearwater Lake fishing: Northern Hog Sucker, Longear Sunfish

Target species: Northern Hog Sucker, Longear Sunfish

The reservoir

Clearwater Lake covers 1,727 acres in Missouri, across 2 counties: Reynolds and Wayne. It is a reservoir: 93.7% of it is 100 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is ≈113 feet (34.5 m). Our records hold 6 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: ≈113 ft (34.5 m). 93.7% of the water is 100 feet or shallower. We hold 44 depth contours for this water, drawn from 280,242 soundings.

  • 20–40 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 40–50 ft: 0.3% of the water
  • 50–60 ft: 0.8% of the water
  • 60–70 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 70–80 ft: 31.4% of the water
  • 80–90 ft: 35.9% of the water
  • 90–100 ft: 19.7% of the water
  • 100–110 ft: 6.1% of the water
  • 110–113 ft: 0.4% of the water

2 target fish, led by Northern Hog Sucker

  • Northern Hog Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
  • Longear Sunfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Also recorded here: White Bass, Rock Bass, Common Carp, Goldfish.

Clearwater Lake, Piedmont MO
tressalynne · CC BY 2.0

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.6–6.2 feet on our readings, averaging 3.5 feet, from 213 readings. Our water temperature readings average 79°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 56°F and the warmest is 89°F; the warmest monthly average is 84°F. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2017–2024.

What is hard here

Clarity swings from 1.6 to 6.2 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed. Summer water sits at 84°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.

Where this data comes from

  • USGS — USGS reservoir bathymetric surveys (ScienceBase): class A, a survey of the bottom, 2017.
  • USACE CWMS — USACE CWMS elevation-area curves: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: 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.

Part of these depths rest on an averaged water level, so they are approximate (≈).