Beetle Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38055100
DNR records show 12 stocking entries at Beetle Lake since 2016, most recently brook trout yearlings in 2025 (1,000 fish).
- Beetle Lake has 12 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): brook trout (10), rainbow trout (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is brook trout: 7,026 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 26 ft, mean depth 6 ft; surface area 29 acres, 23 littoral acres, 1.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout, northern pike.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Isabella; DNR lake number (DOW) 38055100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 274.0 |
| 2024 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 168.1 |
| 2023 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 232.0 |
| 2022 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 190 | 19.8 |
| 2022 | Brook Trout | adults | 130 | 221.2 |
| 2022 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 40 | 20.1 |
| 2021 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 568.2 |
| 2020 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 666 | 900.0 |
| 2019 | Brook Trout8 | yearlings | 1,000 | 61.4 |
| 2017 | Brook Trout8 | fingerlings | 1,000 | 16.4 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 344.8 |
| 2016 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 400 | 140.3 |
8 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | USF | Short carry from USFS Rd. #383 to shallow bay on northwest end of the lake. About 600 feet to the main lake basin. - A short carry from USFS Rd. #383 to a shallow bay on the northwest end of the lake. There is about 600 feet of the shallow bay through a channel to the large northwest basin of the lake. |
| CA | USF | ~100 yard carry down access from new gravel parking lot near campsite on southeastern basin. - About a 100 yard carry down access from gravel parking lot near campsite on southeastern basin. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 5.17 | 62 | 0.06 |
| Brook trout | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 1.59 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.08 | 1 | 11.01 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 9 | 0.12 |
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.
Beetle Lake is an undeveloped lake with cool, well oxygenated water located in Isabella and within the Superior National Forest. The lake is a designated trout lake managed as a Brook Trout fishery with catchable sized yearling fish stocked each spring. There is a carry in access with a short trail to the lake off Forest Service 383 (Bandana Lake Road) suitable for canoes or small boats that can navigate a shallow and narrow channel to the south side of the main lake. There is also an established Forest Service campsite that provides an additional carry in access site as well as an area to fish from shore located at the end of an unnumbered spur road that travels along the north side of the lake. A standard survey was completed in October 2024 to monitor the fish community and evaluate stocking efforts. The Brook Trout catch was limited to two individuals that were stocked in a previous year and both measured about 16 inches long. Although few trout were sampled the catch did confirm the lake has had adequate habitat for fish to survive in recent years. The Golden Shiner population has recovered since the lake reclamation completed in fall of 2016 and the species is currently abundant compared to previous surveys of the lake. Conversely, no White Sucker were captured in 2024 which indicates that species has not successfully recolonized the lake and does not currently impact trout management. Unfortunately, the catch also included one large Northern Pike which presumably migrated into the lake from an adjacent waterbody during high water conditions at some point since the last survey. The presence of a predator species such as pike can greatly reduce the success of trout stocking. It is unclear if additional pike are in the lake, but the fish community will continue to be monitored to determine if management changes are needed.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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