Highland Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31048100
Highland Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Highland Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 105 acres, 56 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Marcell; DNR lake number (DOW) 31048100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | TAX | - Difficult access limited to small rigs and marginal parking. |
DNR fish survey, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 31.00 | 248 | 0.17 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 5.25 | 42 | 0.42 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.62 | 13 | 0.31 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 8 | 2.06 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 6 | 1.43 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 4 | 0.56 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.38 | 3 | 0.62 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 0.64 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 40 | 2.45 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 3.75 | 15 | 1.16 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 4 | 0.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.57 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.23 |
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.
Northern Pike and Bluegill are primary management species with Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie being considered secondary management species. The 2009 lake management plan had goals of maintaining a quality Northern Pike fishery characterized by a catch 21" and 10% > 28", and maintain a Bluegill fishery characterized by a catch rate of 10/trap net and 60% > 6". Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass have no management goals. The lake is passively managed through statewide regulations. This is one of three surveys conducted to assess the status of the fish population. Northern Pike are well suited for the lake, being the most abundant in gill nets (10.0/net) and similar to previous surveys (8.0/net in 1979 and 9.5/net in 1988), but above catches typically observed in similar lakes. The catch failed to attain the management catch goal. Size structure was good despite a high catch and small lake size, yet similar to the previous survey and the management size goal. Lengths ranged from 10.9 to 37.6 inches with an average length of 21.0 inches. Fish within the north central protected slot regulation (22" to 26") comprised 13% of the catch. Age analysis identified relatively consistent recruitment with ages 1 to 8 present in the sample and somewhat even distribution of middle ages. Growth was similar to the statewide averages for all ages. Northern Pike averaged 23.2 inches by age 5. The Bluegill catch was similar to the previous survey and lakes with comparable habitat. Unfortunately, the catch was three times the management goal. Size structure was fair, though few fish exceeded 8 inches (PSD-6=78, PSD-8=13, PSD-10=0, n=245) and similar to previous surveys. Lengths ranged from 3.1 to 9.1 inches with an average length of 6.6 inches. Age analysis identified ages 3 to 10 suggesting relatively consistent recruitment. Ages 7 and 8 comprised 54% of the expanded age frequency. Growth was similar to the lake class average early but exceeded averages by age 5. Bluegill averaged 7.1 inches by age 7. Largemouth Bass are suspected of being well suited for the lake, although limited information exists. Largemouth Bass were captured in all surveys, however test netting is a poor indicator of bass abundance. Lengths ranged from 9.9 to 17.4 inches. Ages 3, 4, 6 and 9 were identified. Growth was slow early but similar to statewide averages by age 3. Trap netting caught a relatively high number of Black Crappie compared to lakes with similar habitat. Average numbers were caught in previous surveys. Size structure was moderate and similar to the past surveys. Lengths ranged…
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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