Dora Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31088200
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Dora Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2022 (200,000 fish).
- Dora Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2022): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 875,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 18 ft; surface area 423 acres, 422 littoral acres, 6.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Wirt; DNR lake number (DOW) 31088200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fry | 200,000 | 2.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fry | 225,000 | 2.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fry | 225,000 | 2.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fry | 225,000 | 2.2 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | Picnic area and boat ramp N and W of the County Rd 29 bridge crossing at Dora Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2019
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 12.25 | 98 | 0.24 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 32 | 1.01 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.75 | 22 | 1.54 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 8 | 1.09 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 4 | 1.63 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 4 | 1.47 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 2 | 2.94 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.12 | 1 | 0.88 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.15 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.44 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 1.67 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 4.06 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.85 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.37 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 2.26 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.66 |
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.
Dora Lake is located in northwest Itasca County near Wirt, MN and is part of the Big Fork River watershed in the Hudson Bay drainage. This riverine lake is a widening of the Big Fork River. Dora Lake covers 447 acres and has a maximum depth of 18 ft. Partial winterkills have occurred occasionally. The water is bog stained and aquatic vegetation is abundant. The lake management plan (LMP) was last revised in 2007. Goals of the LMP were to maintain a strong Walleye spawning population in the lake and the upper Bigfork River watershed, and maintain a resident Walleye population at 2.0/gill net. A standard survey was conducted in 2019 to determine the status of the fish community. Walleye: Catch rates for Walleye have been relatively low compared to similar lakes. Spawning habitat has been rated as fair, but good natural reproduction has historically occurred in the lakes and rivers connected to Dora. Though juvenile and adult habitat conditions in Dora Lake are poor, Walleye are found seasonally, particularly during the spring. The 1986 catch was the lowest on record and occurred during a period of annual fry stocking. Walleye stocking was discontinued by the DNR after 1995 because it did not appear to contribute to the fishery. The Dora Lake Walleye Restoration Association has purchased fry since 2010 but these efforts have also not improved Walleye numbers. The 2019 catch of 0.5/net was lower than the long-term average of 1.8/net, despite stocking eight times from 2010 to 2018. It does not appear that stocking is an effective tool to increase Walleye numbers in Dora Lake, given the results of the previous efforts. The four Walleye sampled ranged from 15.5 to 18.8 inches. Interestingly, three of the four Walleye sampled were aged from the 2015 year-class that happened to be the only year that fry were not stocked. Northern Pike: Catch rates for Northern Pike have been low compared to similar lakes. Size structure has generally been poor, and no pike over 28 inches have been sampled in the last three surveys. Pike sampled in 2019 ranged from 11.5 to 21.4 inches and averaged 17.2 inches. Poor size quality and low numbers may limit the popularity of the pike fishery. Yellow Perch: Catch rates for Yellow Perch have been high compared to lakes with similar habitats. Perch in Dora Lake should be large enough to be of interest to anglers. The sampled perch ranged from 4.9 to 11.4 inches and averaged 7.9 inches. Bluegill: Catch rates for Bluegill were low compared to other lakes with similar habitats. Sizes ranged from 6.1 to 9.4 inches but averaged 7.6 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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