Hanging Horn Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 09003800
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Hanging Horn Lake since 2017, most recently brown trout yearlings in 2021 (1,800 fish).
- Hanging Horn Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2021): brown trout (5), rainbow trout (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 48,996 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 80 ft; surface area 409 acres, 86 littoral acres, 4.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Carlton County, nearest town Barnum; DNR lake number (DOW) 09003800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/14/1994 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 1,800 | 360.0 |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 9,800 | 3,266.7 |
| 2020 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 1,800 | 367.4 |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 9,800 | 3,266.7 |
| 2019 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 1,798 | 276.6 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 9,796 | 4,664.8 |
| 2018 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 1,800 | 333.3 |
| 2018 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 19,600 | 8,062.6 |
| 2017 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 1,800 | 450.0 |
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 | - Access is loacted on the Moosehorn Rive just downstream of Hanging Horn on the west side of the lake. The access is approximately 2 miles south of Barnum off of Co Rd 138. |
| CA | county | Located off of County Road 13 at the culvert between Hanging Horn and Little Hanging Horn Lakes. |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 25.56 | 230 | 0.36 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 1.55 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 18 | 1.06 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 12 | 5.22 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.81 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.21 |
| Silver redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 2.38 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.20 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 10.33 | 93 | 0.20 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 4.11 | 37 | 0.52 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 1.04 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.61 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 1.73 |
| Silver redhorse | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 6.24 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.09 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 2.02 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 2.21 | 42 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | Special trap nets | 1.05 | 20 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Special trap nets | 1.00 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 0.74 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Special trap nets | 0.53 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Special trap nets | 0.53 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Special trap nets | 0.47 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Special trap nets | 0.37 | 7 | 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.
Hanging Horn was surveyed during the summer of 2020 to evaluate and update information about fish populations, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout stocking programs. Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout are the primary species of management for Hanging Horn Lake. Just over 19,500 yearling Rainbow Trout were stocked into the lake in 2018 and 9,800 in 2019 and 2020. Approximately 1,800 Brown Trout have been stocked into the lake annually from 2017 to 2020. No Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout were captured in 2020. Twenty trap nets were set in October targeting Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout, but none were captured. The lack of either species captured in the lake suggests that Hanging Horn is unsuitable for Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout management. It is likely that both species are leaving the lake and remaining in the Moosehorn River. The Moosehorn River will be surveyed in 2021 to further investigate its suitability for trout survival. Walleye abundance of 2.2 per gillnet lift was average compared to similar Minnesota lakes. Walleye average length was 14.6 inches. Several year-classes of young Walleye were evident in the sample suggesting angling for Walleye may improve in the next few years as these mature. Tullibee (Cisco) abundance of 25.6 per gillnet lift was well above average compared to similar Minnesota lakes. Tullibee average length was 10.6 inches. Angling and/or sport netting opportunities for Tullibee are exceptional in Hanging Horn Lake. Hanging Horn consistently has the highest abundance of Tullibee in the Duluth Area. Northern Pike abundance of 1.3 per gillnet lift was below average compared to similar Minnesota Lakes. However, average size was good at 27.8 inches with fish up to 38.7 inches present. Although Northern Pike are present in low abundance, quality size fish are available in Hanging Horn Lake. Black Crappie abundance of 4.1 per trapnet lift was above average compared to similar Minnesota lakes. Average length was 9.2 inches with fish up to 11.6 inches sampled. Bluegill abundance was average at 10.3 per trapnet lift with an average length of 6.2 inches.
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.
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.