Farm Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38077900
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Farm Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2023 (6,670 fish).
- Farm Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2023): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 41,427 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 56 ft; surface area 1,292 acres, 459 littoral acres, 20.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, burbot, cisco species, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 5 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 38077900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/23/1965 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,670 | 230.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,680 | 225.9 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 15,143 | 458.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 11,934 | 459.0 |
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 | North off Lake Co. Rd. 16 (Kawishiwi Trail) Parking for approx 15 vehicles w/ trailers. |
| C | Minnesota DNR | Navigable channel from Garden Lk. No motor restrictions. |
| C | Minnesota DNR | Navigable channel from North Kawishiwi River. This is within the BWCAW (paddle only). |
| C | Minnesota DNR | Navigable channel from South Farm Lk. This is within the BWCAW (25hp limit or paddle). |
| C | Minnesota DNR | Navigable channel from White Iron Lk. No motor restrictions. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 6.38 | 51 | 0.36 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 24 | 0.36 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 2.25 | 18 | 1.72 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.88 | 15 | 2.62 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.75 | 14 | 0.55 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 8 | 0.34 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 2 | 0.86 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.22 | 47 | 1.26 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 5.11 | 46 | 0.22 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 24 | 0.19 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 1.55 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 18 | 4.07 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.57 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.75 |
| Burbot | Standard gill nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.30 |
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.
Farm Lake is five miles east of Ely, covers 1,292 acres, and is one of three connected water bodies, including South Farm and Garden Lakes, that comprise the Garden Reservoir. This system is also connected to White Iron Lake via the South Kawishiwi River. A public access with a concrete plank boat ramp is on the west side of the lake off CR 16 (Kawishiwi Trail). Farm Lake can also be accessed by boat from both Garden and White Iron Lakes and serves as the access to South Farm Lake. A hydroelectric dam at the outlet of Garden Lake affects water levels seasonally on Farm Lake and the other connected lakes. The 2020 lake management plan for the Garden Reservoir lakes listed walleye and northern pike as the primary management species and the plan also listed bluegill, smallmouth bass, and black crappie as capable of providing quality fishing. A standard survey was conducted in mid-summer 2023 to assess the populations of these species and to monitor lake quality and habitat. The survey crew sampled fish with gill nets and trap nets and measured water quality. Farm Lake was thermally stratified, with a surface temperature of 67 F and a temperature of 47 F at 27 feet. Adequate oxygen levels for gamefish were present to a depth of about 21 feet. Farm Lake has brown, bog-stained water with visibility around 7 feet. Walleye harvest by anglers on the Garden Reservoir chain is restricted with a special regulation that requires releasing all fish from 17 to 26 inches, with only one fish over 26 inches allowed in a 6-fish limit. This regulation has been in place since 2006 with the goal of maintaining overall catch rates while increasing the number of fish over 17 inches and applies to all the connected lakes mentioned above. The gill-net catch for walleye was right at the historic median for the lake. Walleye were 14.2 inches long on average and only 28% of the fish sampled were over 14.0 inches. Some fish were also caught in trap nets and they were about the same size as the gill-netted fish, at 14.8 inches on average. Large walleye are present in this lake, with three fish over 28 inches sampled in 2023. Walleye ages ranged from 1 to 16 and indicated natural reproduction is occurring in the system. Northern pike (pike) harvest by anglers on the Garden Reservoir chain is restricted with a special regulation that requires releasing all fish from 24 to 36 inches, with only one pike over 36 inches allowed in a 3-fish limit. This regulation, which applies to all the connected lakes mentioned above, has been in place since 2003 with the goal of maintaining the overall…
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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