Bear Lake (Itasca County)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31015700
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Bear Lake (Itasca County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (234,000 fish).
- Bear Lake (Itasca County) has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2024): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,024,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 16 ft; surface area 344 acres, 268 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, 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).
- Itasca County, nearest town Nashwauk; DNR lake number (DOW) 31015700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 3/17/1936 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 234,000 | 2.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 134,000 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 328,000 | 3.8 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 328,000 | 3.3 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | State-administered access at campground at north end of lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 478.50 | 4,785 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 27.20 | 272 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 6.90 | 69 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 2.70 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 0.40 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 0.30 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 17.58 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 13.67 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 5.86 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 1.95 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 1.95 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 0.98 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | Backpack electrofishing | 0.98 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 0.98 | 1 | 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 Bear Lake, was conducted on July 15th-16th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample all 10 stations. Nearshore sampling captured 10 species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass) and no species tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data was combined with gill net and trap net data from a June 2025 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Fathead Minnow). 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. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Bear Lake is healthy as indicated by a FIBI score above the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lake. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Little Fork River watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Bear Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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