Heart Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 15005800
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Heart Lake since 2018, most recently walleye in 2018 (14,850 fish).
- Heart Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2018-2018): walleye (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 14,850 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 55 ft; surface area 224 acres, 54 littoral acres, 3.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 19.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, rock bass, yellow perch.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Clearwater County, nearest town Mallard; DNR lake number (DOW) 15005800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Walleye6 | - | 14,850 | 6.0 |
6 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by White Earth Nation.
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.
DNR fish survey, 2013
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Special electrofishing | 79.62 | 88 | 0.84 |
| Bluegill | Special electrofishing | 30.76 | 34 | 0.30 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 21.67 | 130 | 0.30 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 42 | 1.92 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 5.83 | 35 | 0.35 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 5.50 | 33 | 0.80 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 14 | 0.32 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.48 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.30 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 2.48 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 10.22 | 92 | 0.13 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.27 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.53 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.29 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 3.22 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.17 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.46 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.04 |
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.
Update 06/17/2014; There has been a change in public access status. The public access was leased by Clearwater County from the White Earth Reservation. That lease expired and has not been renewed. Heart Lake is a 206-acre lake with a maximum depth of 55 feet located 8 miles northwest of Itasca State Park in southern Clearwater County. The shoreline of Heart Lake is mostly undeveloped with a small number of lakeshore cabins. Water quality measurements taken in July 2013 documented excellent water quality, with good oxygen levels for fish down to a depth of 26 feet and a Secchi disc reading of 19.5 feet (very clear water). No fisheries management work has been conducted on Heart Lake since 1989 due to issues regarding the public water access site on the lake; however, public access was recently affirmed and fisheries management work resumed in 2013. The 2013 fish population assessment documented bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass and northern pike as the primary species present in Heart Lake. The 2013 bluegill catch rate of 10.22 fish per trap net (10.22/TN) is within the typical range for Lake Class 23 lakes. Bluegill captured in trap nets had an average size of 5.1 inches in length. Gill nets captured larger bluegill than trap nets, with a mean length of 7.0 inches and fish up to 9.7 inches in length. Fourteen percent of gill net-caught bluegill were greater than 8 inches in length. Growth rates for bluegill in Heart Lake were below average, with fish reaching 4.1 inches in length at age-5 compared to 5.1 inches for other Lake Class 23 lakes in the area. Bluegill up to age-15 were identified in the assessment, which is unusually long-lived for the species. Black crappie catch rates were low for trap nets (0.33/TN) but above the normal range for gill nets (2.33 fish/gill net). As with bluegill, gill nets captured larger black crappie than trap nets. Gill nets are set deeper on the outside edges of weed lines, while trap nets are set along the shoreline in shallower water. Black crappie up to 12.7 inches in length were captured; however, most of the black crappie catch consisted of age-2 and age-3 fish resulting in an average length of 7.0 inches. Northern pike were captured at a rate of 7 fish per gill net, which is near the upper end of the typical catch rate for Lake Class 23 lakes. Northern pike up to 37 inches in length were captured in the assessment, with an average size of 20.6 inches and 1.92 lbs. Nineteen percent of northern pike captured in the assessment were greater than 24 inches in length. An electrofishing assessment targeting…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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.
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