Erskine Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31031100
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Erskine Lake since 2016, most recently rainbow trout yearlings in 2025 (1,426 fish).
- Erskine Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (5), splake (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is splake: 11,071 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 56 ft; surface area 40 acres, 16 littoral acres, 1.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 18.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: rainbow trout, splake, white sucker.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Effie; DNR lake number (DOW) 31031100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,426 | 511.1 |
| 2023 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,185 | 288.3 |
| 2023 | Splake | fingerlings | 2,331 | 65.8 |
| 2022 | Splake | fingerlings | 2,740 | 74.9 |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 2,000 | 740.7 |
| 2020 | Splake | fingerlings | 2,000 | 64.9 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,700 | 566.7 |
| 2018 | Splake | fingerlings | 2,000 | 84.8 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 2,000 | 689.7 |
| 2016 | Splake | fingerlings | 2,000 | 47.6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | county | - Steep hill to lake, eroded foot trail filled with rubble sized rock. |
| O | county | - User developed hiking trail around perimeter of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splake | Standard gill nets | 41.00 | 41 | 0.65 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 2 | 0.10 |
| Golden shiner | 1/2-in trap nets | 16.19 | 259 | 0.01 |
| Splake | 1/2-in trap nets | 6.31 | 101 | 0.66 |
| Rainbow trout | 1/2-in trap nets | 0.19 | 3 | 1.34 |
| White sucker | 1/2-in trap nets | 0.12 | 2 | 0.87 |
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.
Erskine Lake is a small, designated stream trout lake, primarily managed for Splake and Rainbow Trout. The fisheries lake management plan (LMP) was last updated in 2019. The LMP goals were to provide a Splake fishery with a trap-net catch of at least 1.0/net with at least 25% of the sampled fish greater than 16 inches, and to provide a Rainbow Trout fishery with a trap-net catch near 0.1/net or a gill-net catch near 0.5/net, with age 2 fish present. To help attain these goals, yearling Rainbow Trout were stocked in 2021 and 2023, while fingerling Splake were fall stocked in even years (2020 and 2022). In 2023, the stocking strategy switched to spring stocking Rainbow Trout yearlings and fall stocking Splake fingerlings in the same year (odd years). This strategy should provide more consistent catchable-sized fish (i.e., Rainbow Trout available to anglers as fingerling Splake recruit the following year). The 2024 targeted survey was conducted to collect updated information on the fishery. Net locations and effort were similar to the previous survey. The Splake trap-net catch exceeded all previous surveys and surpassed the management goal. The majority of sampled Splake were within a relatively narrow range of lengths from 12.0 to 14.9 inches and averaged 12.5 inches, which did not meet the size structure goal. The single overnight gill-net set produced 41 Splake, a catch rate far exceeding any previous survey. Size structure was similar to the trap-net sample. The length-frequency distribution displayed three distinct peaks that would correlate to the three most recent stockings. Most fish were catchable size and should provide good angling opportunities in the next year. Rainbow Trout catches have typically been low. In 2024, the trap nets sampled three Rainbow Trout ranging from 14.2 to 15.7 inches. The catch rate of 0.2/net met the LMP goal. These were likely two-year old fish stocked in 2023 as yearlings. It is assumed angler harvest greatly reduces Rainbow Trout numbers in the first two seasons after stocking, resulting in lower-than-expected catches. Golden Shiners were the most numerous species sampled in the trap nets, with a higher catch rate than any previous survey. Lengths were mostly between 4.3 to 6.8 inches. The only other species sampled was White Sucker (two individuals).
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.