Hogback Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38005700
DNR records show 21 stocking entries at Hogback Lake since 2016, most recently rainbow trout yearlings in 2025 (2,000 fish).
- Hogback Lake has 21 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (12), splake (8), brook trout (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is splake: 33,506 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 43 ft, mean depth 13 ft; surface area 40 acres, 24 littoral acres, 1.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout, rainbow trout, splake, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 4 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Isabella; DNR lake number (DOW) 38005700.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 2,000 | 900.4 |
| 2024 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 2,000 | 933.1 |
| 2024 | Splake | fingerlings | 4,925 | 155.0 |
| 2023 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 2,000 | 888.9 |
| 2023 | Splake | fingerlings | 4,000 | 120.3 |
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 2,000 | 859.6 |
| 2022 | Splake | fingerlings | 4,106 | 112.2 |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 2,000 | 995.4 |
| 2021 | Splake | fingerlings | 4,850 | 124.7 |
| 2020 | Brook Trout | yearlings | 573 | 790.5 |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,050 | 362.1 |
| 2020 | Splake | fingerlings | 3,100 | 100.7 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 333.3 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 505 | 87.1 |
| 2019 | Splake | fingerlings | 4,525 | 161.0 |
| 2018 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 357.1 |
| 2018 | Splake | fingerlings | 4,000 | 183.5 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 4,000 | 216.2 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 333.3 |
| 2016 | Rainbow Trout | yearlings | 1,000 | 328.9 |
| 2016 | Splake | fingerlings | 4,000 | 90.9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| S | USF | |
| gravel ramp | USF | Gravel boat ramp off of USFS Rd #172 on the north shore of the lake. - Gravel boat ramp off USFS Rd. #172 at campground. No dock present. |
| PU | USF | Fishing pier at picnic area on north basin- ADA accessible. |
| PO | USF | Portage from Scarp Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 20 | 0.17 |
| Splake | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 14 | 0.63 |
| Brook trout | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 5 | 1.70 |
| Rainbow trout | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 0.76 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 2.54 |
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.
Hogback Lake is located 10 miles east of Isabella on the Wanless Road (USFS 172) in the Superior National Forest. There is a public access with earthen ramp and ample parking for several vehicles. The Lake is popular with anglers and other recreational users with a 3 site US Forest Service campground, a picnic area, one water access campsite, a handicapped accessible fishing pier and hiking trails. The lake is 40 acres with a maximum depth of 43 feet. A standard survey was completed on October 19 and 20, 2020 to evaluate current management goals and provide data to inform future management. Rainbow Trout and Splake are the primary managed species and the lake is stocked with 1,000 yearling Rainbow Trout each spring and 4,000 fingerling Splake each fall. Rainbow Trout catch was 1.5 per net, with an average weight and length of 0.8 pounds and 13.1 inches. Fish from each of the last two seasons were captured indicating at least some fish do carry over past first year. Splake catch was 7 per net, with an average weight of 0.7 pounds and average length of 12.1 inches. The largest fish sampled was 20.2 inches and 2.5 pounds. Fish from three of the last four years of stocking were sampled with age-2 fish making up over half of the catch. Brook Trout gill net catch of 2.5 per net was average compared to similar lakes. The average weight and length was 1.7 pounds and 15.7 inches. This was a one-time stocking event due to covid restrictions, which prevented some of Finland's remote Brook Trout lakes from being stocked in 2020. Yellow Perch were sampled in 2011 and have become established in the lake. Yellow Perch catch of 10/net, with an average weight of 0.17 pounds were both near the upper end of the normal range for similar lakes. The largest fish sampled was 10.8 inches long and weighed 0.5 pounds, and 15% of the catch was at least nine inches long. One White Sucker was sampled with a length of 17.9 inches and weight of 2.5 pounds. Yellow Perch and White Sucker populations will continue to be monitored as Hogback Lake is a potential candidate for lake reclamation.
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.