Ed Shave Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69019900
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Ed Shave Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2023 (1,783 fish).
- Ed Shave Lake has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2017-2023): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,421 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 17 ft; surface area 90 acres, 82 littoral acres, 2.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, 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) 69019900.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,783 | 61.5 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,398 | 62.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,240 | 62.0 |
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 | Minnesota DNR | West shore, southcentral portion of lake. Access road off Echo Trail. - Parking for approx. six vehicles with trailers. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 18.67 | 56 | 0.84 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 9 | 0.57 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 2 | 0.86 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 1.47 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 12.33 | 111 | 1.12 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.29 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 1.65 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 1.08 |
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.
Ed Shave is a 90 acre lake located 12 miles north of Tower. It is accessed by a concrete ramp off the Echo Trail. This lake has a maximum depth of 17 feet and clear water. On June 22, 2021 the lake was completely mixed with a surface temperature of 69 F and a bottom temperature of 67 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish throughout the water column. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly ledge rock, rubble, and gravel, with muck in the bays. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 22.7 fish/net which was right at the average of past surveys on the lake. Yield was 18.5 lbs/net which was just below the average of past surveys. Fish species sampled were walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, and white sucker. Trap nets caught fish at an overall rate of 13.6 fish/net which was better than average when compared to past surveys on the lake. Yield was 15.4 lbs/net which was the second highest on record for the lake. A bluegill was the only additional fish species sampled in the trap nets. Fifty-six walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 18.7 fish/net, which was very good compared to other similar lakes and the second highest on record for Ed Shave. This catch rate also ranked 5th out of 198 surveys of walleye populations in the Tower area. Walleye lengths ranged from 7 to 22 inches with an average of 13 inches. Walleye growth was good with the average fish taking four years to reach 15 inches long. Ages ranged from 1 to 14 years with no overly strong year classes represented. A total of 11 smallmouth bass were captured between the gill nets and trap nets. The trapnet catch rate of 1.0 fish/net was above average when compared to other similar lakes and right at the average when compared to past surveys on Ed Shave. Lengths from fish caught in trap nets ranged from just over 6 to nearly 18 inches with an average of just over 12 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 7. Nine yellow perch were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 3.0 fish/net which was below average compared to other similar lakes and below average compared to past catches on Ed Shave Lake. Sizes were similar to past surveys with a range of 7 to 12.5 inches and an average of 10.5 inches.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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