Greenstone Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38071800
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Greenstone Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (131,000 fish).
- Greenstone Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 668,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 72 ft; surface area 332 acres, 131 littoral acres, 7.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 4 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 38071800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 131,000 | 1.4 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 131,000 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 131,000 | 1.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 131,000 | 1.3 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 144,000 | 1.4 |
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 | Minnesota DNR | 3/4 mile portage from Madden Lake. |
| CA | USF | 1/2 mile portage from Kawishiwi River. |
| CA | USF | Portage to Pickerel Lake. |
| CA | USF | Portage from Madden Creek Road. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.89 | 35 | 1.86 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.44 | 31 | 2.84 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.20 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.09 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.11 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.78 | 7 | 3.59 |
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.
Greenstone Lake is located 10 miles east of Ely. There are four accesses that are all remote carry-ins. Accesses consist of a 3/4-mile portage from Madden Lake, a 1/2-mile portage from the North Kawishiwi River, a winter snowmobile route to Pickerel Lake, and the trail system off the Madden Creek Rd. This 332-acre lake contains four inlets and one outlet, which flows to Pickerel Lake. Greenstone Lake has a maximum depth of 72 feet and brown bog-stained water. On September 17, 2024, Greenstone was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 70 F and a bottom temperature of 45 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 22 feet where the temperature was 58 F. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Greenstone Lake are mostly boulder and rubble. Aquatic plants are sparse and only grow in some of the shallow bays. There are a handful of water-access-only cabins on the lake, the shoreline is quite undeveloped overall. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 13.8 fish/net which was above average for the lake. Yield was 20.4 pounds/net which was also above average. Fish species sampled were walleye, northern pike, rock bass, bluegill, yellow perch, and white sucker. Walleye fry are currently being stocked in Greenstone during odd years. The 2024 walleye gillnet catch rate was 3.9 fish/net, which was above average compared to other similar lakes and right at average compared to past surveys on the lake. Lengths ranged from 8 to 23 inches with an average of 17 inches which was good compared to past surveys. Growth rates were slightly better than average compared to other lakes in the area with a walleye taking 3 to 4 years to reach 14 inches long. Ages ranged from 1 to 19 with no single exceptional year classes, and walleye ages indicate that natural reproduction is occurring on a regular basis. The northern pike gillnet catch was 3.4 fish/net which was above average compared to past surveys on Greenstone. Lengths ranged from 15 to 31 inches with an average of 23 inches. Overall, the pike on Greenstone are relatively abundant and smaller in size, making it a great candidate for angler harvest of smaller individuals. Although gillnets are not intended to sample bluegill effectively, this survey did produce a bluegill catch rate of 1.9 fish/net. This catch rate was well above average compared to previous surveys on the lake. Lengths ranged from 4 to over 7 inches with an average length of about 5 inches. Rock bass, white sucker, and yellow perch were also sampled. Their catch rates and sizes were similar to past surveys.
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.