Dinner Pail Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31055100

Dinner Pail Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.

• Dinner Pail Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of September 2, 2026.
• Maximum depth 30 ft; surface area 47 acres, 21 littoral acres, 1.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 7, 2008 (standard survey).
• Itasca County, nearest town Hill City; DNR lake number (DOW) 31055100.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/10/2008 (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2008

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.

Dinner Pail Lake is a small, mesotrophic lake near Hill City, MN. There is a county owned access on the northeast end. The lake has moderate residential development as five dwellings were noted adjacent to lake. Despite being primarily in private ownership, the shoreline is generally undisturbed. The lake appears to support a healthy aquatic plant community and emergent and floating leaf species ring the lake. Dinner Pail Lake appears to have adequate fish habitat to support a fish community typical of small lakes in the region. A previous assessment indicated that northern pike and bluegill were the primary species of angler interest in Dinner Pail Lake. In 2008, the northern pike catch rate was relatively high compared to similar lakes. The assessment indicated a moderate size distribution, as the approximately 40% of the sampled fish exceeded 21 inches 12% exceeding 28 inches. One pike exceeded 36 inches, indicating at least some potential for large individuals. Given the small size of the lake, limited prey base, and relatively high pike density, it is unlikely that Dinner Pail Lake could support many large northern pike. Releasing larger pike (exceeding 22 inches) will help ensure quality fishing in Dinner Pail Lake. The trap net catch rate of bluegill was within the expected range for the lake class. The size structure was moderate as 74% of the sampled bluegill exceeded 6 inches. Few individuals (3%) exceeded the angler-preferred size of 8 inches, however, and a lack of large individuals may limit the popularity of the fishery. Black crappie were captured in relatively low numbers in 2008. The trap net catch was within the expected range but near the lower end. No crappies were captured in the gill nets. Size was generally small and no individuals exceeded 8 inches. It should be noted that a 1977 assessment resulted in a high gill net catch of crappies. Year class strength in black crappie is often inconsistent among years and poor age structure may contribute to the low catch in 2008. A previous assessment in 1977 resulted in a yellow perch catch of 29.0/gill net. In 2008, only one yellow perch was sampled. Low perch abundance may limit predator numbers in Dinner Pail Lake. Other species sampled in relatively low abundance included bowfin, pumpkinseed sunfish, yellow bullhead, brown bullhead, and rock bass. The protection of water quality and habitat is critical in maintaining or improving fish and wildlife populations. Unfortunately, human activities often negatively impact our lakes. Fertilized turf-grass lawns and failing septic systems…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 7, 2008.

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