Grand Lake (St. Louis County)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69051100
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Grand Lake (St. Louis County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2023 (755,000 fish).
- Grand Lake (St. Louis County) has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2016-2023): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,264,998 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 24 ft, mean depth 10 ft; surface area 1,665 acres, 1,510 littoral acres, 8.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, and 1 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Twig; DNR lake number (DOW) 69051100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/6/1955 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 755,000 | 7.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 755,000 | 7.7 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 754,998 | 7.5 |
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 | TOW | Northwest corner of lake off Township #182 (Dickerman Road) - Steep and difficult on-road access. Limited parking. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | North side of lake at the end of Township #610 (McGregor Road) - A traditional back-in ramp with sufficient parking. |
DNR fish survey, 2019
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 64.00 | 448 | 0.15 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 11.00 | 77 | 0.11 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.14 | 43 | 1.38 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 6.14 | 43 | 0.21 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 35 | 1.92 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.29 | 23 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 14 | 0.32 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.29 | 9 | 1.63 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 24.79 | 36 | 1.52 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 0.69 | 1 | 1.72 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 15.87 | 238 | 0.19 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 7.87 | 118 | 0.13 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 5.40 | 81 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 4.20 | 63 | 0.34 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.73 | 26 | 1.50 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.87 | 13 | 0.13 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 5 | 2.73 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.20 | 3 | 0.26 |
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.
Grand was surveyed during the summer of 2019 to evaluate and update information about fish populations after a significant winterkill in 2013-14, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the post-winterkill Walleye stocking program. Largemouth Bass, Bluegill and Black Crappie are the primary management species for Grand Lake. Largemouth Bass were sampled during a spring electrofishing survey at a rate of 24.8 per hour which was average compared to other Duluth Area lakes. Average length was 13.6 inches. Largemouth Bass abundance has been steadily increasing since the winterkill event and the lake is providing quality bass angling opportunities again. Black Crappie abundance of 4.2 per trapnet lift was average compared to other Minnesota lakes. Average length was 8.4 inches with fish up to 12.4 inches sampled. Bluegill abundance was average at 7.9 per trapnet lift. Average length was relatively small at 5.5 inches. Yellow Perch abundance of 6.1 per gillnet lift was average compared to other Minnesota lakes. Average size was 7.6 inches. After the winterkill of 2013-14, Walleye fry were stocked in the spring of 2014, 2015 and 2016 to provide a short-term Walleye fishery. Survival rates of fry post winterkill can be exceptional, with abundant food resources and a lack of predation by other fish. Walleye abundance of 5.0 per gillnet lift in 2019 was average compared to other similar Minnesota Lakes. Walleye average length was large at 17.6 inches, with some fish exceeding 20 inches. All Walleye captured corresponded to the 2014 and 2016 stocked year-classes, however no specimens were aged to the 2015 stocked year-class. Anglers should expect good Walleye fishing for the next couple years before these cohorts begin to diminish. Walleye do not reproduce naturally at sustainable levels in Grand Lake and stocking return rates have been shown to be low when the fishery is balanced several years after winterkill events. For these reasons, stocking of Walleye in Grand Lake is only planned following significant winterkill events. Northern Pike abundance of 6.1 per gillnet lift was down substantially from the last assessment (30.8). Average size was small at 18.9 inches. Anglers should expect good catches of small Northern Pike as two strong year-classes of young fish were present.
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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