Deer Lake (Itasca County, DOW 31071900)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31071900
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Deer Lake (Itasca County, DOW 31071900) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (16,742 fish).
- Deer Lake (Itasca County, DOW 31071900) has 10 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 197,684 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 121 ft, mean depth 42 ft; surface area 4,093 acres, 920 littoral acres, 26.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tiger muskellunge, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Deer River; DNR lake number (DOW) 31071900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1948 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 16,742 | 920.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 30,310 | 918.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 21,780 | 920.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 25,760 | 920.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 17,741 | 924.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 13,713 | 653.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 20,118 | 919.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 18,400 | 920.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 14,720 | 920.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 18,400 | 920.0 |
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 | Minnesota DNR | Located in the SW bay of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 90.00 | 180 | 1.27 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 37.00 | 74 | 0.53 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 22.93 | 321 | 0.20 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 10.00 | 140 | 0.26 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.57 | 22 | 0.19 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.14 | 16 | 0.52 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.57 | 8 | 0.35 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.36 | 5 | 4.37 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.29 | 4 | 0.82 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.29 | 4 | 3.24 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 10.47 | 157 | 0.18 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 7.80 | 117 | 0.31 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 6.13 | 92 | 1.92 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 3.27 | 49 | 0.48 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.13 | 47 | 1.78 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.27 | 34 | 1.52 |
| Lake whitefish | Standard gill nets | 1.13 | 17 | 2.61 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 15 | 3.93 |
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.
Deer Lake is located northeast of Deer River, Minnesota. There is one public access on the southwest part of the lake. There were 373 homes or cabins counted during the last full survey, indicating moderate to high shoreline development. The 2018 lake management plan (LMP) indicated Muskie, Smallmouth Bass and Walleye as the primary species of management with Northern Pike as a secondary species. The LMP goals include maintaining the Walleye catch near 9.6/net, a spring electrofishing catch of 30 Smallmouth Bass/hr, and a spring Muskie estimate of 0.15 adults/acre with 45% greater than or equal to 42 inches by natural reproduction. A standard survey was conducted in late July to assess the fish community and evaluate Walleye stocking. A total of 15 gill nets and 15 trap nets were used in the survey. Bass were sampled using night electrofishing in the spring. Muskie are difficult to sample with standard summer survey methods because they exist at such low densities. Spring sampling of Muskie in the shallows during the spawning period is the best method for evaluating the population. The last Muskie survey was completed in 2017. In the 2023 standard survey, one Muskie was sampled in the gill nets and none in the trap nets. The sampled fish was a 44.9 inch female estimated to be 12 plus years old. It was tagged as a 35.7 incher during the spring of 2017 survey. Northern Pike catches have always been low on Deer Lake due to a lack of suitable habitat. The highest catch of 1.6 fish/net occurred in 2017. The 2023 catch was 1.0 fish/net. Low pike numbers frequently result in good growth and size structure. The sampled pike ranged from 19.7 to 37.2 inches and averaged 25.3 inches. Six year-classes were identified with fish from age 2 to age 9 present. Growth was fast compared to statewide averages for the first five years then average thereafter. Northern Pike averaged 25.2 inches after four years of growth. Bass have been sampled with spring, night electrofishing six times from 1995 to 2023. The Largemouth Bass population appears to have expanded from a very low level prior to the mid-1990s. Catch rates increased from 2.2 fish/hr in 1995 to 45.0 fish/hr in 2005 but fluctuated at lower levels since 2005. The catch rate was 37.0 fish/hr in 2023. In 2023, the sampled fish ranged from 5.2 to 16.9 inches and averaged 9.7 inches. Largemouth Bass over 16 inches were not aged. Five year-classes were sampled from age 2 to age 8. The 2020 year-class dominated the sample (77%). Growth was similar to the statewide average. Smallmouth Bass catches have followed a similar…
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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