Eagles Nest #1 Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69028501
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Eagles Nest #1 Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (3,608 fish).
- Eagles Nest #1 Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 24,886 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 76 ft; surface area 324 acres, 88 littoral acres, 5.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, burbot, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rainbow smelt, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69028501.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/2/1983 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,608 | 176.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,280 | 176.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,790 | 176.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,632 | 176.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,576 | 176.0 |
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 | county | Water access at east end of Eagles Nest 2 through narrows into Eagles Nest 1. Public access boat ramp is on Eagles Nest 2 approximately 2 miles south of State Hwy. 1/169 on County Rd. #599. Parking for 3 - 4 vehicles with tight turnaround. - Removal of a few vehicle scarred trees would make the access more vehicle friendly. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Small-mesh gill nets | 31.50 | 63 | 0.01 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 16.91 | 17 | 1.07 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 2.98 | 3 | 1.59 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 15.83 | 95 | 0.12 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 18 | 0.18 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 6 | 1.21 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.68 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.26 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 1.71 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.87 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.60 | 23 | 0.10 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.40 | 22 | 1.84 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.40 | 17 | 2.00 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.60 | 13 | 1.51 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 10 | 2.66 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.40 | 2 | 0.04 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.20 | 1 | 0.26 |
| Burbot | Standard gill nets | 0.20 | 1 | 0.31 |
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.
Eagles Nest 1 (69-0285-01) is a 324-acre lake located 8 miles east of Tower. It is accessed by a water access channel that connects with Eagles Nest 2, which has a concrete ramp and ample parking for a few trailers. The lake has a maximum depth of 76 feet and generally clear water. Compared to other lakes in the area, Eagles Nest 1 is relatively developed with year-round and seasonal homes. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly rubble, gravel, and sand with some muck in the bays. Aquatic vegetation is sparse due to a rusty crayfish infestation. On July 28, 2025 the lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 75 degrees F and a bottom temperature of 41 degrees F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish from the surface to around 50 feet of water. Eagles Nest 1 is currently being stocked with fingerling walleye every other year. Since there is no public access ramp on Eagles Nest 1, the quota of fingerlings is added to the quota for Eagles Nest 2 and the fish are stocked at the Eagles Nest 2 access under the assumption that the fingerlings swim freely between the lakes. As in the past, Eagles Nest 1 was sampled concurrently the Eagles Nest 2. A total of nine gill nets, four small mesh gill nets, and twelve trap nets were set between the two lakes. Twenty-two walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 4.4 fish/net, which was just below average when compared to other similar lakes in the area, but on par with past up-and-down survey catch rates we've observed on Eagles Nest 1. Sizes were quite good with fish up to 22 inches sampled and an overall size average of 17 inches and nearly 2 pounds. Growth is also quite good due to sometimes ample smelt and rusty crayfish populations. The walleyes in this survey were already 14.6 inches on average as 4-year-old fish. Overall, ages ranged from 2 to 9 years with good representation from the 2019 year-class. Stocking appears to be carrying the walleye fishery with over 90% of the fish sampled having come from a stocked year class. Spring night electrofishing was used for the third time on Eagles Nest 1 for smallmouth and largemouth bass sampling. On the night of May 27th, three electrofishing stations were sampled and the crew caught twenty bass, which was similar to past electrofishing efforts on the lake. Although largemouth are prevalent in the lake as witnessed by angling success, only three largemouth bass were captured during the electrofishing survey. All three fish were between 13 and 15 inches. Electrofishing for smallmouth was a bit more successful with 17 fish…
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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