Briar Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69012800

DNR records show 14 stocking entries at Briar Lake since 2016, most recently rainbow trout yearlings in 2025 (5,250 fish).

• Briar Lake has 14 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (11), brown trout (2), brook trout (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 53,170 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 21 ft; surface area 79 acres, 67 littoral acres, 2.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, rainbow trout, white sucker.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: October 12, 2009 (standard survey).
• St. Louis County, nearest town Palmers; DNR lake number (DOW) 69012800.

Stocking history

⁸ fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2009

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.

Briar is a 89 acre lake with 67 acres (75%) of littoral area and a maximum depth of 21 feet. The lake is located 13 miles north of Duluth, Minnesota off Highway #44 on County Road #272. The lake has a carry-down access located along the southwest shore. A population assessment (trapnets only) was conducted during the late fall of 2009 to update information on fish populations. Late fall trapnetting was adopted as the primary sampling gear in 1999 as a means to limit mortality of stocked rainbow trout. Briar has been managed as a put-and-take rainbow trout fishery with annual yearling stocking of approximately 75 per surface acre (5,250) since 1958. Additionally, since 2003, surplus rainbow trout age-1 or older have been stocked into Briar Lake at a rate of up to 25 fish per surface acre when available. Rainbow trout trapnet abundance of 4.3 per lift was greater than 1999 (2.0). Rainbow trout mean length of 9.6 inches was less than 1999 (11.2). Age analysis revealed that all but three of the 39 trout sampled in 2009 were age-1. The three older trout sampled in 2009 were age-2. Mean length of age-2 trout was 13.4 inches. Similarly, age analysis from the 1999 assessment revealed that all but one of 12 sampled trout were age-1. The only older trout was age-2 with a length of approximately 14.5 inches. Other fish species sampled include black bullhead, golden shiner and white sucker. Black bullhead trapnet abundance of 5.6 per lift was greater than 1999 (3.3) but still considered typical compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. White sucker trapnet CPUE of 7.2 per lift was greater than 1999 (1.7) and had risen to what was considered above average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, October 12, 2009.

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