Dunbar Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31090400
Dunbar Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Dunbar Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 30 ft; surface area 268 acres, 162 littoral acres, 4.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Squaw Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 31090400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | county | West side of the lake. - There is a county administered access with an earthen boat landing on the west shore of the lake (mowed grass strip on a steep hillside). |
DNR fish survey, 2011
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 24.76 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 9.39 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 7.69 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 4.27 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 4.27 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 1.71 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 0.85 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 8.00 | 48 | 0.16 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 6.33 | 38 | 0.03 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.83 | 23 | 1.55 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 10 | 1.15 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 6 | 1.93 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.73 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 1.13 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.82 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.11 | 28 | 0.26 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 24 | 1.06 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.22 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 2.48 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 2.82 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.64 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.85 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.06 |
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.
Dunbar Lake is a class 34 lake located five miles west of Squaw Lake, MN. The Dunbar River exits the lake and flows into Round Lake. The lake has one earthen public access that is down a relatively steep hill on the west shore. The 2002 lake management plan indicates black crappie and bluegill as the primary species of management with northern pike and walleye as secondary species. The 2011 assessment also included additional sampling of near shore fish species in order to calculate an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score. Black crappie were sampled with trap nets at a rate of 3.1 fish/net while gill nets sampled them at a rate of 6.3 fish/net. The catch rates were above average for the respective gears. The trap net sampled fish ranged from 3.7 to 12.2 inches and averaged 6.1 inches. The gill net sampled fish were smaller ranging from 4.2 to 5.4 inches. Four age-classes from 1 to 6 years old were identified from scales. The 2010 year class dominated the sample and may help to improve fishing in a few years. Growth was good compared to statewide averages with fish averaging 10.4 inches after five years of growth. Trap-net catch rates for bluegill have been below the lake class first quartile value of 5.9 fish/net in all assessments. The trap-net catch of 1.0 fish/net in 2011 was a little below average for this lake. Bluegill lengths ranged from 5.5 to 9.8 inches and averaged 8.5 inches. Four age-classes were identified from scales ranging from age 2 to age 6. Growth rates were excellent compared to other similar lakes. Northern pike gill-net catch rates have ranged from 0.5 to 8.2 fish/net since 1973. In 2011, northern pike gill-net catch was 3.8 fish/net which was below the lake class median of 5.1 fish/net. The gill net sampled fish were small, ranging from 16.7 to 22.1 inches with an average length of 19.5 inches. However, the trap nets sampled three fish from 27 to nearly 32 inches. Six year-classes were identified from bony structures ranging from age 2 to 10. Northern pike averaged 17.4 inches by age 4 which was less than the statewide average of 20.5 inches. Walleye numbers in Dunbar Lake have generally been low and appear to be dependent upon migration from Round Lake. Walleye catch rates have ranged from 1.7 to 3.0 since the July assessments began in 1978. In 2011, the catch was 1.7 fish/gill net. The catch rate was within the normal range for class 34 lakes. The sampled fish ranged from 8.7 to 18.0 inches and averaged 14.3 inches. Six age classes from age 1 to 7 were identified from bony structures. Growth was similar to statewide averages…
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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