Carey Lake (St. Louis County)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69085600
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Carey Lake (St. Louis County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (104,250 fish).
- Carey Lake (St. Louis County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 514,835 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 14 ft; surface area 145 acres, 145 littoral acres, 2.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Hibbing; DNR lake number (DOW) 69085600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 104,250 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 2.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 104,250 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 104,250 | 1.1 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,085 | 139.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | city | West shore, north of pier, on side of park road. |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 13.67 | 82 | 1.52 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 32 | 0.28 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 32 | 2.07 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 13 | 0.16 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 5 | 0.09 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.58 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.36 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.06 |
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.
Carey Lake is located within the Carey Lake Park and Recreation Area in Hibbing, Minnesota. The public access is located on the west side and there is a 10 hp outboard motor restriction on the lake. The lake has brown water due to tannins. The 2013 lake management plan (LMP) indicates Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Walleye were the primary species of management with Bluegill as a secondary species. The LMP goals include maintaining the Black Crappie trap-net catch rate at 5.0/net, a Northern Pike gill-net catch rate near 4.0/net, and a Walleye fishery represented by a catch of 2.0/gill net. Only gill-nets were used to evaluate Walleye stocking in August of 2017. The Black Crappie gill-net catch of 5.3 fish/net was high compared to other lakes with similar habitat. The sampled fish ranged from 5.8 to 11.1 inches and averaged 7.8 inches. Five age-classes were estimated from scales with fish from age 2 to 7 represented. Growth was slower than other lakes with similar habitat. The fish only averaged 8.6 inches after five years of growth. Black Crappie may provide good fishing at times but the larger fish anglers seek are most likely harvested quickly since the lake is small. Northern Pike gill-net catch rates have ranged from 1.4 to 16.0 fish/net since 1971. The Northern Pike catches in the last two surveys have been the only two distinctly higher than normal for the lake and for other lakes with similar habitat. The catch of 13.7 fish/net in 2017 was the second highest on record and did not meet the LMP goal. The goal of 4.0 fish/net reflects a population characterized by moderate density, good growth, and a diverse size structure. High numbers of Northern Pike generally lead to the opposite population characteristics and can negatively affect the prey base. The sample fish ranged from 13.9 to 30.4 inches and averaged 19.3 inches. Seven age-classes were identified with fish from age 1 to 7 represented. Growth was similar to statewide averages for all ages. Northern Pike averaged 20.9 inches after four years of growth. Good action may be found for Northern Pike anglers but large fish are unlikely to be encountered. Carey Lake does not have the habitat to be a destination fishery for Walleye so management has attempted to provide a bonus fishery. Walleye have been stocked every other year since 2003. Net catches have historically been low and were again in 2017. The catch of 0.7 fish/net was low compared to other lakes with similar habitat and did not meet the LMP goal of 2.0/net. Three of the Walleye were from the 2015 stocking and averaged 14.6 inches…
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.
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