Clear LakeMaking Connections
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Full image approximately 2 miles square |
Description
Clear Lake is an island studded, broadly triangular lake in the South Kawishiwi drainage, 16¼ miles WNW of Forest Center, and 9 miles east of Ely. Its 236 acres are generally shallow, with a maximum depth of but 17'. Clear links the North and South Kawishiwi rivers by way of a 145 rod overland portage to the northern fork of the river, and a 70 rod carry along the small stream the connects the lake to the southern river. A third portage drops into Eskwagama, 100 rods and 13' below to the southwest.Field research by Heinselman suggests that the forests surrounding Clear were probably made up of stands of Red and White Pine dating back to 1796 and earlier, before being logged off (1898-1912) by the St. Croix Lumber Company of Winton. The Independence Day windstorms of 1999 did no significant damage in the Clear Lake area.
Campsites
Clear supports five established campsites, four along the northern shore and one on the large island in the south end.Planning Considerations
Clear is, oddly enough, one of the few lakes in a corner of the BWCA featuring primarily river travel (though rivers which sometimes seem nothing more than long narrow lakes).Wildlife
Clear Lake supports populations of Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides), Northern Pike (Esox lucius), Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni), and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens). Walleye were stocked in 1993 and 1995.Notes and Comments
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