Black Duck Lake

St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69084200

Black Duck Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.

• Black Duck Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of September 2, 2026.
• Maximum depth 30 ft; surface area 1,250 acres, 498 littoral acres, 12.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.4 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: May 31, 2023 (targeted survey).
• St. Louis County, nearest town Ash Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 69084200.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 2/1/1939 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2023

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.

Black Duck Lake is located approximately 10 miles north of the city of Orr. Black Duck is a productive class 5 lake with 1,250 surface acres and a maximum depth of 30 feet. Approximately 498 acres (40%) are less than 15 feet deep. Secchi depth during the 2022 survey was 10 feet, but the lake is prone to algae blooms that reduce clarity during the growing season. The outlet is the source of the Black Duck River, a tributary to the Ash River. There is a very diverse and healthy plant population, with both submergent and emergent vegetation. Boulder, rubble, gravel, and sand were the most common shoal water substrates. Excellent spawning habitat was reported for Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, and Bluegill. Centrarchids, Northern Pike, Walleye, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch represent the majority of a very diverse fish community. Current fishing regulations on Black Duck Lake for Walleye follows the statewide regulation. Northern Pike are in the Northeast Zone regulation. Black Crappie fishing regulation follows the statewide regulation. There is a special regulation reduced bag limit on Sunfish, which is set at a 10 fish daily limit. Smallmouth Bass fishing regulation are in the Northeast Zone regulation. This targeted spring nighttime electrofishing for Smallmouth Bass was conducted in 2023, as part of the completion of the standard survey conducted in 2022. Reported net catches were from the 2022 survey. Black Crappie trap-net catch rate was 1.7 fish per net, which was below average for similar lakes. Total length ranged from 3.9 to 13.9 inches and the mean length was 10.5 inches. Mean weight was 0.8 pounds, which was above average for similar lakes. A total of six year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2-8 years. Black Duck Lake offers a good fishing opportunity with quality Black Crappie in the system. Bluegill trap-net catch rate was 2.3 fish per net which is well below average for similar lakes. Total length ranged from 3.8 to 9.4 inches and the mean length was 7.0 inches. Mean weight captured in trap nets was 0.4 pounds which was above average for similar lakes. A total of six year classes were present, and ages ranged from 1 - 7 years. Black Duck Lake offers a good fishing opportunity with quality Bluegill in the system. Smallmouth Bass abundance was 233.4 fish per hour of On-Time, which was greater than the Black Duck Lake historic average of 231.3 fish per hour of On-Time. Total length ranged from 2.8 to 19.1 inches and the mean was 9.2 inches. Average weight was 0.3 pounds. Fourteen year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2-17…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, May 31, 2023.

All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder