Eagles Nest #2 Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69028502
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Eagles Nest #2 Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (9,389 fish).
- Eagles Nest #2 Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 64,337 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 39 ft; surface area 388 acres, 229 littoral acres, 7.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, rainbow smelt, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69028502.
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 | 9,389 | 458.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 13,740 | 458.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 14,644 | 458.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 14,656 | 458.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 11,908 | 458.0 |
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 | Pubic access is approximately 2 miles south of State Hwy. # 1/169 on County Rd.# 599(Trygg Rd.). Parking for 3 - 4 vehicles. Tight turn-around. - 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 | 41.50 | 83 | 0.02 |
| Spottail shiner | Small-mesh gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 28.99 | 29 | 2.08 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 2.00 | 2 | 0.86 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 10.50 | 42 | 1.18 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 5.75 | 23 | 1.34 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 16 | 1.87 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.25 | 13 | 0.12 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.75 | 11 | 2.95 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.08 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 12 | 0.23 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.31 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 2.39 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.69 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.93 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 1.86 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 1.86 |
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 2 (69-0285-02) is a 388 acre lake located seven miles east of Tower. It is accessed by a concrete ramp with ample parking for a few trailers and has a water access channel that connects with Eagles Nest 1. The lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet and generally clear water. 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 76 degrees F and a bottom temperature of 51degrees F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish from the surface to around 30 feet of water. Eagles Nest 2 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 all 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 2 was sampled concurrently with Eagles Nest 1. A total of nine gill nets, four small mesh gill nets, and twelve trap nets were set between the two lakes. Forty-two walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 10.5 fish/net, which was very good compared to other similar lakes in the area and better than average for Eagles Nest 2. Sizes were good with fish up to nearly 23 inches sampled and an overall average length just shy of 15 inches. Growth is decent due to sometimes ample smelt and rusty crayfish populations. The walleyes in this survey were nearly 15 inches on average as 4-year old fish. Overall, ages ranged from 1 to 12 years with good representation from the 2021 and 2023 year-classes. Stocking appears to be carrying the walleye fishery with over 85% of the fish sampled having come from a stocked year-class. Spring night electrofishing was used for the third time on Eagles Nest 2 for smallmouth and largemouth bass sampling. On the night of May 27th, three electrofishing stations were sampled and the crew crew caught thirty-one total bass, which was similar to past electrofishing efforts on the lake. Although largemouth are prevalent in the lake as witnessed by angling success, only two largemouth bass were captured during the electrofishing survey. Electrofishing for smallmouth was a bit more successful with 29 fish captured. Sizes were good with fish over 19 inches sampled and an overall average length of nearly 15 inches. Sixteen additional smallmouth were sampled in gill nets which was a very high catch rate when…
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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