Clearwater Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MO)

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Lake depth chart

Clearwater Lake, MO

Max 43 ft

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Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~4 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~5 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~7 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at Clearwater Lake

Recent public catches load as you reach this section.

Fishing Clearwater Lake: what the data says

1,630-acre lake near Piedmont. The lake tops out around 43 ft. The depth chart comes from U.S. Geological Survey, Central Midwest Water Science Center bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

Traced from the shoreline, Clearwater Lake runs 1,728 acres with 24 miles of edge. An index of 4.1 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Roughly 55% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 4.3 mi, about 3 mi across. You'll find it in Reynolds County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Current River, 27 mi west of here.

Crappie fishing at Clearwater Lake

In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	open water	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Largemouth Bass fishing at Clearwater Lake

Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Clearwater Lake

Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	open water
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	open water
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	open water
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	open water

Flathead Catfish fishing at Clearwater Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: flathead catfish in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 13 to 43 ft for winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.

Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	open water
Summer	8 to 30 ft	night & dusk	open water
Fall	10 to 35 ft	night & dusk	open water
Winter	13 to 43 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft	midday	open water

Bluegill fishing at Clearwater Lake

Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	open water	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	open water	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	open water	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

The chart marks 8 structure features on Clearwater Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 42 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 42 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 16 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Clearwater Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Missouri waters are set by the Missouri Department of Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Clearwater Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Clearwater Lake?

Clearwater Lake is about 43 ft (13 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from U.S. Geological Survey, Central Midwest Water Science Center bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Clearwater Lake?

Anglers target crappie, largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, bluegill on Clearwater Lake.

When is the best time to fish Clearwater Lake?

For crappie, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Clearwater Lake?

Fishing on Clearwater Lake is regulated by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Check the official Missouri regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Current River 27 mi · Wappapello Lake 29 mi · Mark Twain National Forest 30 mi · Jacks Fork 36 mi · Ripley Lake 36 mi · Duck Creek Conservation Area 39 mi · Council Bluff Lake 39 mi · Eleven Point River 48 mi · Lake Girardeau 53 mi · General Watkins Conservation Area 66 mi · Big River 69 mi · Big Piney River 73 mi

See how Clearwater Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Missouri · best crappie lakes in Missouri · best bluegill lakes in Missouri · best channel catfish lakes in Missouri

Browse all Missouri fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: U.S. Geological Survey, Central Midwest Water Science Center Bathymetric data for Clearwater Lake near Piedmont, Missouri, 2017 (NAVD88; 0% measured, 100% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.