Bass Lake (Mahnomen County)
Mahnomen County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 44000600
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Bass Lake (Mahnomen County) since 2018, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (7,480 fish).
- Bass Lake (Mahnomen County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2018-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 29,208 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 26 ft; surface area 735 acres, 294 littoral acres, 10.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Mahnomen County, nearest town Waubun; DNR lake number (DOW) 44000600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/22/1974 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye6 | fingerlings | 7,480 | 220.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,102 | 136.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 7,093 | 218.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,000 | 250.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 11,533 | 544.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 6 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by White Earth Nation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | county | Southwest shore of northwest bay. During summer of 1997 - Access trail is narrow and rutted with difficult turn-around and parking for two rigs at the most. This site needs to be upgraded badly! |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 48.79 | 57 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 11.13 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 9.42 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 8.56 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 5.14 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 4.28 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 2.57 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 1.71 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 6.46 | 84 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 3.62 | 47 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 0.85 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 0.62 | 8 | 0.00 |
| MMS | 50-ft beach seine | 0.54 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 0.38 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 0.38 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 0.23 | 3 | 0.00 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Big Bass Lake was conducted on August 8, 2022 by Detroit Lakes Area Fisheries Staff. Data collected during this nearshore survey were combined with trap net and gill net data to calculate a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score for the lake. The FIBI Tool-4 was used for scoring and resulted in a FIBI score of 57. The previous score for Big Bass Lake was 50 in July 2013. The impairment threshold score is 38, suggesting that the fish population in Big Bass Lake meets expectations for lakes of similar characteristics, and the lake is likely not biologically impaired. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Wild Rice River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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