Bluewater Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31039500
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Bluewater Lake since 2017, most recently lake trout yearlings in 2017 (1,990 fish).
- Bluewater Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2017-2017): lake trout (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is lake trout: 1,990 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 120 ft; surface area 364 acres, 72 littoral acres, 4.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), and 3 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Grand Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 31039500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/5/1979 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 1,990 | 170.4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| C | - | Access through outlet from Wabana Lake. |
| earthen ramp | USF | Portage from Trout Lake to northwest corner of lake west of Bible Camp. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 71.10 | 79 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 26.10 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 18.00 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 17.10 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 14.40 | 16 | 0.00 |
| MMS | Backpack electrofishing | 11.70 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 10.80 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 9.90 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 19.71 | 138 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 9.00 | 63 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 7.57 | 53 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 6.14 | 43 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.86 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 1.14 | 8 | 0.00 |
| MMS | 50-ft beach seine | 1.14 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 0.29 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 18.00 | 36 | 0.00 |
| LED | 15-ft beach seine | 2.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| PGS | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 17.44 | 157 | 0.10 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 11.89 | 107 | 0.12 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.12 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 18 | 0.18 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.47 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.06 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.44 |
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 Bluewater Lake was conducted beginning on July 16th, 2024 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) 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 ten sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample seven stations, a 15-foot seine was used at two stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 17 species of fish including eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Mimic Shiner, Northern Sunfish, Pugnose Shiner, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted beginning on July 16th, 2024 by IBI Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill and Hybrid Sunfish comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and biomass. The number of Bluegill and Black Crappie sampled per net was below the 50% quartile for similar Lake Class 23 lakes. Conversely, the mean weight of Black Crappie sampled per net was above the 50% quartile for Lake Class 23 lakes. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from an August 2022 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., Mimic Shiner, Northern Sunfish, and Pugnose Shiner), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). 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. An additional survey was completed on Bluewater Lake in July 2015 resulting in a high, but similar FIBI score. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Fisheries IBI program staff also conducted a survey of lakeshore habitat on Bluewater Lake on July 18th 2024, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The…
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.