Cass Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 04003000
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Cass Lake since 2025, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (522,000 fish).
- Cass Lake has 2 DNR stocking records across 1 year (2025-2025): walleye (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 589,303 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 120 ft; surface area 15,958 acres, 3,119 littoral acres, 45.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, greater redhorse, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, and 9 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Beltrami County, nearest town Cass Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 04003000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1937 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 522,000 | 4.6 |
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 67,303 | 3,119.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | USF | - EAST SHORE AT KNUTSON DAM |
| concrete ramp | USF | - EAST SHORE AT NORWAY BEACH |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - SOUTHWEST SHORE |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 47.40 | 948 | 0.28 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.80 | 156 | 2.00 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 5.60 | 112 | 0.38 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 3.85 | 77 | 0.39 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.60 | 52 | 3.49 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.10 | 42 | 1.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.15 | 23 | 0.91 |
| Lake whitefish | Standard gill nets | 0.35 | 7 | 2.17 |
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.
Cass Lake is a nearly 16,000 acre lake and is the largest lake in the Cass Lake chain, which altogether includes over 25,000 acres of connected waters. The lake has a mix of expansive, shallow flats and deeper water with lots of underwater structure. Walleye, Yellow Perch, and Muskellunge are the most sought-after species. While the Walleye population of Cass Lake is down a bit, there are fish distributed among numerous size and age classes. The 2025 gill net catch rate was 7.8 fish per net, less than the long-term median catch rate (12.9 fish/net). Captured fish ranged from ages 1 to 15 with most fish ages 4 to 7. Nearly half of the catch was between 17 and 20 inches. Most fish on the smaller end of that range belong to the 2021 year class and the larger fish belong to the strong 2018 year class. These fish will continue to provide the bulk of the angler catch for the next few years. The record-strong 2013 year class is still present in the population and providing anglers with quality-sized fish in the mid to upper 20-inch range. The clearer-than-usual water is due to the well-established zebra mussel population and this trend is expected to continue. As a result, Walleye anglers should focus their effort around low light periods or when there is a chop on the water as the clear water tends to keep fish deeper during the day. The catch rate for age-0 Walleye (approximately 6 inches) during fall electrofishing was poor. Cass Lake has a history of producing strong year classes every two or three years and while we haven't seen on since 2021, the abundance of mature females is well above average and we are experimenting with a new stocking strategy to improve fry survival. The modest year classes between the strong ones help provide anglers with a wide size range of fish and reduces fishing mortality on the stronger ones. The gill net catch rate for Yellow Perch (47 per net) was similar to the long-term median (46 per net). Growth rates have increased remarkably which has increased the number of keeper-sized fish in the population. The catch rate for fish over 9 inches in 2025 (16.5 fish/net) is the highest since annual monitoring began in 1983. The largest fish are around 13 inches in length and anglers continue to put together some impressive catches. The Northern Pike catch rate of 2.6 fish per net was similar to the long-term median of 3.0 fish per gill net. Average to below average gill net catch rates for Northern Pike over the past few years is encouraging as modest densities tend to result in faster growth rates and larger fish. Remember, Cass…
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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