Embarrass Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69049600
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Embarrass Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (5,104 fish).
- Embarrass Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 22,935 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 19 ft; surface area 463 acres, 407 littoral acres, 8.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, burbot, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, walleye, and 3 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Biwabik; DNR lake number (DOW) 69049600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,104 | 204.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,712 | 204.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,599 | 204.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,254 | 203.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,266 | 204.0 |
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 | city | - Owned and maintained by City Of Biwabik. Parking for approx. 8 vehicles. Concrete ramp and 2 docks. |
| concrete ramp | DOT | Ramp and parking lot off Hwy 135 adjacent to Embarrass river inlet, north shore of main basin. Parking for approx. 8 vehicles. - Concrete ramp but no dock. Parallel parking along edges of parking lot for approx. 8 vehicles. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 226.00 | 2,260 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 6.80 | 68 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 4.30 | 43 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | 50-ft beach seine | 4.00 | 40 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 2.30 | 23 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 2.10 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.20 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | 50-ft beach seine | 1.20 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 187.40 | 1,874 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 6.40 | 64 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 5.00 | 50 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 2.20 | 22 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 1.20 | 12 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 1.10 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.90 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.90 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 31.69 | 36 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 14.97 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 10.56 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 5.28 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 4.40 | 5 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Backpack electrofishing | 1.76 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Burbot | Backpack electrofishing | 1.76 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 1.76 | 2 | 0.00 |
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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Embarrass Lake, was conducted on July 28th-30th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment Program staff. Nearshore sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing and 1/8" mesh mini-fyke net were completed at 10 sampling stations. Additionally, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 10 stations. Nearshore sampling captured 18 species of fish, including four species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Burbot, Iowa Darter, Logperch, and Rock Bass) and one species that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead). The nearshore data along with gill net and standard trap net data will be used to develop fish community models for Northeast Minnesota lakes, which will be used to measure lake health in this region. These models may function similarly to fish IBI models developed for lakes across much of the rest of the state. For additional information, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. You can help protect the fish community in Embarrass Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
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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