Bear Lake (Carlton County)
Carlton County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 09003400
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Bear Lake (Carlton County) since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (1,584 fish).
- Bear Lake (Carlton County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 8,603 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 31 ft, mean depth 11 ft; surface area 100 acres, 70 littoral acres, 2.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Carlton County, nearest town Barnum; DNR lake number (DOW) 09003400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/6/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | yearlings | 1,584 | 88.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,047 | 89.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,367 | 91.1 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,848 | 88.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,757 | 87.8 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | county | - Public access is located on the west side of the lake on the frontage road to I-35 at the Barnum exit. |
DNR fish survey, 2015
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 29.01 | 47 | 1.70 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 15.45 | 170 | 0.21 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 4.73 | 52 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.91 | 10 | 1.07 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.82 | 9 | 0.26 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.73 | 8 | 0.94 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.64 | 7 | 0.75 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.45 | 5 | 0.11 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.18 | 2 | 0.60 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 8.50 | 17 | 0.15 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.00 | 16 | 0.22 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 14 | 2.04 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 5 | 2.34 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 0.81 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 0.11 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 0.96 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 3.19 |
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 standard survey was conducted on Bear Lake during the summer of 2015 to update information about fish populations. Walleye is the primary management species for Bear Lake and fingerlings are stocked during even numbered years. Walleye abundance of 1.0 per gillnet lift was average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Walleye average length was large at 20.1 inches. Two year-classes were represented, and both corresponded to stocked year-classes. Angling opportunities for Largemouth Bass are notable in Bear Lake with fish up to 20.6 inches sampled. The Largemouth Bass electrofishing catch rate was 29.0 fish per hour, which is average compared to other Duluth Area Largemouth Bass populations. Mean length of sampled bass was good at 14.6 inches. Panfish population density was average compared to other similar Minnesota lakes. Black Crappie average length was 6.8 inches but only 10% exceeded eight inches. Bluegill averaged 6.3 inches with some quality fish available up to 8.5 inches. Yellow Perch were scarce and small. Northern Pike abundance of 7.0 per gillnet lift was above average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Mean length was 22.8 inches and over 50% of the fish captured exceeded 24 inches long. Eurasion water milfoil was identified in Bear Lake during this survey. The infestation was well established and was very thick in the immediate vicinity of the public access, among other areas. The lake has been designated as infested waters and signs were posted to notify those using the public water access. Designation of the lake as an infested water prohibits the transport of water and harvest of bait. Extreme care must be exercised by thoroughly cleaning boats and trailers when leaving the lake to avoid spreading the aquatic invasive species to other waterbodies.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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