Holy Water Lake

Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01020100

DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Holy Water Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (1,132 fish).

• Holy Water Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2024): walleye (6).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 26,516 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 56 ft; surface area 94 acres, 35 littoral acres, 1.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.5 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 24, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Aitkin County, nearest town Shovel Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 01020100.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/19/1972 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Holy Water Lake was conducted on July 24, 2025, by Aitkin Area fisheries staff. Sampling sites (N=10) were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations, one of which was sampled via boat due to soft sediment. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 3 stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at 6 stations. One station was not seined due to soft sediment. Nearshore sampling captured 9 species of fish including 2 that are intolerant of disturbance (e.g., Blacknose Shiner and Iowa Darter) and zero species that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a 6/23/2025 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based score of biotic integrity (FIBI). The FIBI score uses fish community data to quantify a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish, Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov web site. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Holy Water Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score above the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings which indicated that Holy Water Lake is fully supporting aquatic life. These survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River-Grand Rapids watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Holy Water Lake by preventing the spread of invasive species, exhibiting safe forestry practices, and minimizing environmental impacts when visiting the state forest.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 24, 2025.

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