Bassett Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69004100
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Bassett Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (1,092 fish).
- Bassett Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2024): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 21,690 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 21 ft, mean depth 13 ft; surface area 403 acres, 196 littoral acres, 5.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Fairbanks; DNR lake number (DOW) 69004100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/20/1951 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,092 | 196.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,644 | 195.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,674 | 194.8 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 9,280 | 232.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | TOW | Off St. Louis C.R. 16. Bassett Beach Road. Northwest side of lake - State administered |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 119.00 | 357 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 30.00 | 90 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 10.33 | 31 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 10.00 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 9.33 | 28 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.67 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 33.37 | 38 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 28.10 | 32 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 21.07 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Mottled sculpin | Backpack electrofishing | 15.80 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 10.54 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 10.54 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 5.27 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 5.27 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 21.00 | 63 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 15-ft beach seine | 15.00 | 45 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 15-ft beach seine | 9.33 | 28 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 6.33 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 2.67 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 0.67 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 7.70 | 77 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 5.40 | 54 | 0.00 |
| Brown bullhead | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.90 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.70 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.70 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.50 | 5 | 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 Bassett Lake was conducted on August 21st-August 22nd, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 1/8" mesh mini-fyke net was used to sample 10 stations. Finally, a 50-foot seine was used to sample three stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 16 species of fish. The nearshore data along with gill net and standard trap net data will be used to develop fish community models for Northeast Minnesota lakes, which will be used to measure lake health. These models may function similarly to fish IBI models developed for lakes across much of the rest of the state. For additional information, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. You can help protect the fish community in Bassett Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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