Cloquet Lake

Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38053900

DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Cloquet Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (6,576 fish).

• Cloquet Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 23,461 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 7 ft; surface area 176 acres, 176 littoral acres, 3.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.9 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 1, 2024 (standard survey).
• Lake County, nearest town Finland; DNR lake number (DOW) 38053900.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/29/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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.

Cloquet Lake is a moderately sized lake with a maximum depth of seven feet located eleven miles west of Finland within the Superior National Forest. There is a small public access with an earthen boat ramp suitable for small boats and canoes on the southeast shore of the lake off Forest Service 102 (Cloquet Lake Road). The Walleye population is actively managed with the current plan to stock fingerlings in even numbered years. A standard fisheries survey was completed in July to monitor the fish community and evaluate stocking efforts. The 2024 Walleye catch rate of 4.0 per gill net was similar to the last survey of the lake and within the normal range for similar lakes in the area, but below the goal set in the current fisheries management plan. The average size of Walleye caught was 19.1 inches long and weighed an estimated 2.51 pounds. Nearly half of the fish sampled were from the naturally reproduced 2021-year class. The remaining Walleye age classes corresponded to the five most recent years when fingerling stocking occurred. It remains unclear how much stocking contributes to the population since natural reproduction was likely responsible for the largest year class sampled and may occur regularly in the lake. The 2024 Yellow Perch catch of 27.0 per gill net was above the normal range for similar lakes in the area, but within the range of previous surveys of Cloquet Lake. Perch ranged from 5 to 12 inches long with an average length of 9.3 inches and weight of about 0.4 pounds. Opportunities to harvest fish appear to be good as 33% of the catch was greater than 10 inches long. Northern Pike provide additional angling opportunities and the gill net catch rate of 7.7 per gill net was within the normal range for similar lakes and within the range of previous surveys. Pike size is generally poor and in 2024 they averaged just 17.4 inches long and 1.5 pounds, with few fish longer than 24 inches sampled. Survey results indicate the lake currently supports fair opportunities for larger sized Walleye, excellent opportunities for harvestable sized Yellow Perch, and good opportunities to catch small Northern Pike, as well as an occasional larger fish.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 1, 2024.

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