Bemidji (main lake)
Beltrami County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 04013002
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Bemidji (main lake) since 2016, most recently muskellunge fingerlings in 2024 (1,861 fish).
- Bemidji (main lake) has 7 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): muskellunge (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is muskellunge: 9,359 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 76 ft, mean depth 34 ft; surface area 6,596 acres, 1,862 littoral acres, 14.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), burbot, cisco species, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, redhorse, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, tullibee (cisco), and 4 more.
- 6 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Beltrami County, nearest town Lavinia (Beltrami); DNR lake number (DOW) 04013002.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/16/1966 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 1,861 | 391.7 |
| 2024 | Muskellunge | yearlings | 1 | 2.5 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 1,863 | 323.6 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 1,633 | 327.9 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 229 | 76.3 |
| 2018 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 1,862 | 291.8 |
| 2016 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 1,910 | 211.1 |
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 | city | - NYMORE ACCESS SOUTH END OF LAKE ABOUT 15 UNIT PARKING |
| concrete ramp | city | CAMERON ACCESS WEST SHORE ABOUT 25 UNIT PARKING |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | NORTHWOODS ACCESS NORTHWEST CORNER 20 UNIT PARKING |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - LAKE BEMIDJI STATE PARK 5 UNIT PARKING PLUS CAMPGROUND AND DOCKING. |
| concrete ramp | TOW | LAVINIA 3 UNIT PARKING ~LIMITED TURN AROUND SPACE~ |
| concrete ramp | city | DIAMOND POINT PARKING LIMITED. PUBLIC BEACH |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 249.44 | 592 | 0.03 |
| Muskellunge | Special electrofishing | 243.17 | 46 | 28.91 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 31.60 | 474 | 0.19 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 13.67 | 205 | 0.95 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 3.73 | 56 | 1.97 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.53 | 53 | 3.78 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.93 | 14 | 0.34 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 0.47 | 7 | 1.02 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.20 | 3 | 2.43 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 3.19 | 51 | 0.13 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.38 | 22 | 0.23 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.31 | 21 | 2.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.62 | 10 | 2.03 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.62 | 10 | 2.92 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 7 | 7.72 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard trap nets | 0.19 | 3 | 1.37 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.19 | 3 | 0.02 |
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.
Lake Bemidji is a 6,596-acre lake with a maximum depth of 76 feet located adjacent to the city of Bemidji in southern Beltrami County. There are a total of six public boat landings located around the lake. Accessible fishing piers are located at the inlet of the lake near downtown Bemidji and at Lake Bemidji State Park. Lake Bemidji is part of a connected system of lakes which includes Lake Irving upstream and Stump Lake downstream on the Mississippi River. Both of these lakes are readily accessible by boat from Lake Bemidji and provide additional angling opportunities. The lake is managed primarily for Walleye, Yellow Perch, Northern Pike and Muskellunge. The 2022 catch rate for Walleye was just under 14 fish/gill net which is well above the average for most area lakes. Lengths averaged just over 13 inches and the largest captured during the 2022 survey was over 24 inches. Multiple strong year classes were observed indicating a robust population which continues to keep up despite being one of the most popular Walleye lakes in the area. Night electrofishing for juvenile Walleyes revealed an abundance of smaller fish that will reach catchable sizes in two to three years. Lake Bemidji is well known for its quality Muskellunge population. Muskies were targeted specifically in the spring of 2022 via night electrofishing. A total of 46 adult muskies were measured with the largest just under 55 inches in length. Impressively, the overall average length was just under 48 inches. Northern Pike continue to maintain a quality population in Bemidji. Pike averaged almost 4 pounds and the largest captured in the 2022 assessment was over 38 inches long. The pike population is thriving with many fish larger than the 22-26 inch north-central zone protected slot which can provide great open water action or a memorable encounter from the surface of the ice. The Yellow Perch catch rate was over 30 fish/gill net which is comparable to most area lakes. Yellow Perch averaged over 7 inches in length and fish over 10 inches were captured in the survey, though anglers have reported catching larger fish at times. Perch are one of the most important forage species for Walleye, muskies, and pike. Other species captured in this survey were Rock Bass, Tullibee (Cisco), White Sucker, Bullhead species, redhorse, and a variety of sunfish species. Lake Bemidji is infested with zebra mussels and the aquatic plant, starry stonewort. Both are aquatic invasive species (AIS). AIS can be transferred by anglers and boats from infested to non-infested waterbodies. To avoid spreading AIS, lake…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.