Eagles Nest #3 Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69028503
Eagles Nest #3 Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Eagles Nest #3 Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 49 ft; surface area 1,028 acres, 553 littoral acres, 16.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, burbot, largemouth bass, northern pike, 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 Soudan; DNR lake number (DOW) 69028503.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/28/1984 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Off Bearhead Lake State Park road go west 0.75mi. on dirt road (winter snowmobile trail) to landing/parking area on southeast bay of EN#3. - Parking for approx. 8 vehicles with trailers. Within Bearhead Lake State Park - vehicle permits required. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Small-mesh gill nets | 48.00 | 192 | 0.01 |
| Walleye | Small-mesh gill nets | 12.75 | 51 | 0.02 |
| Spottail shiner | Small-mesh gill nets | 6.75 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Small-mesh gill nets | 1.00 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Smallmouth bass | Small-mesh gill nets | 0.75 | 3 | 0.01 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 35.18 | 47 | 1.88 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 15.89 | 143 | 0.82 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.78 | 34 | 1.88 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.44 | 22 | 2.97 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.25 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.12 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 0.44 | 4 | 6.73 |
| Burbot | Standard gill nets | 0.11 | 1 | 2.23 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.50 | 18 | 0.22 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.08 | 13 | 0.28 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 2.62 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 8 | 2.69 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 1.47 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 3.16 |
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 3 (69-0285-03) is a 1,028-acre lake located 8 miles east of Tower. It is accessed by a concrete ramp off the Eagles Nest 3 access road which is off the Bear Head Lake State Park Road. A state park vehicle permit is required to launch and park at this access. The lake has a maximum depth of 49 feet and had light green colored water at the time of this survey due to a slight algae bloom. On August 18, 2025 the lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 70 degrees F and a bottom temperature of 46 degrees F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to 26 feet where the temperature was 58 degrees F. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly bedrock, gravel, and sand with some muck in the bays. Aquatic vegetation is sparse due to a rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) infestation. One hundred forty-three walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 15.9 fish/net, which was very good compared to other similar lakes and the 2nd highest gill net catch rate on record for the lake. Walleye lengths ranged from 7 to over 22 inches with an average of nearly 13 inches. Walleye growth was considered average with four-year-old fish measuring just under 14 inches. Ages ranged from 0 to 14 years. Although still early, the age-1, 2024 year-class, appeared very strong and should provide good angling opportunities into the future. Presently, the 2021 and 2022 year-classes seem to be doing well. As of this survey, there was a fair number of younger fish in the lake. Although anglers may find an abundance of what appear to be small sized fish, as those year-classes age, catch rates of larger sized fish should improve. Spring night electrofishing was used to assess smallmouth and largemouth bass population. The lake was electrofished the night of May 28. No largemouth were sampled but 47 smallmouth were captured for a catch rate of 35.2 fish/hour, which was the highest catch rate on record for the lake. Lengths ranged from 6 to 20 inches with an average of nearly 15 inches. Thiry-four additional smallmouth were sampled in gill nets and six more were caught in trap nets. Those sizes ranged from 7.5 to just over 19 inches. Growth rates were very good with the average smallmouth reaching nearly 12 inches by four years old. The northern pike gillnet catch rate was 0.4 fish/net which was the lowest on record for the lake. Only four fish were sampled, however they were all of good size ranging from 26 to 40 inches. Eight additional pike were sampled in trap nets. Sizes were generally good here as well with fish up to 30 inches in the…
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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