Iron Chief Complex Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69142800
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Iron Chief Complex Lake since 2016, most recently lake trout yearlings in 2025 (1,250 fish).
- Iron Chief Complex Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): lake trout (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is lake trout: 10,088 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 262 ft; surface area 207 acres, 4.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: lake trout, largemouth bass, rainbow smelt.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Buhl; DNR lake number (DOW) 69142800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/13/2008 (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 1,250 | 145.7 |
| 2023 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 1,150 | 122.3 |
| 2021 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 1,240 | 98.7 |
| 2020 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 650 | 157.0 |
| 2019 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 4,091 | 751.2 |
| 2018 | Lake Trout | adults | 108 | 736.6 |
| 2017 | Lake Trout | adults | 398 | 255.1 |
| 2017 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 1,095 | 93.8 |
| 2016 | Lake Trout8 | adults | 106 | 919.8 |
8 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | city | North edge of city of Buhl. |
DNR fish survey, 2008
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBS | Small-mesh gill nets | 16.00 | 32 | 0.03 |
| Green sunfish | Small-mesh gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.03 |
| Green sunfish | Minnow traps | 3.75 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Minnow traps | 0.75 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | Minnow traps | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.05 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 1.08 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 6.28 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.93 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 2.43 |
| Green sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.06 |
| RBS | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.06 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 1.61 |
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.
Iron Chief Complex is a series of three abandoned mine pits (now connected) near the town of Buhl. Like most pit lakes, the water is relatively infertile and clear. Rainy and windy weather occasionally loosens sediment from the pit walls causing the water to cloud up temporarily. There is a city-owned public access on the south side of the lake. DNR Fisheries has done no stocking or management of the lake, and the 2008 assessment was the first ever conducted on the pit. Very few fish were captured in the test nets. Green sunfish was the most numerous species in the standard assessment gears, at 1.2/gill net and 1.2/trap net. These fish were rather small, ranging from 3.7 to 5.6 inches in length. Four rainbow smelt were also captured in the gill nets for a catch rate of 0.7/net. Two small-mesh gill nets specifically designed to sample small fish such as rainbow smelt were also used in this assessment. A total of 32 smelt were captured for a catch rate of 16/net. These fish ranged from 4.6 to 6.3 inches in length. One northern pike (28.4 inches) was captured in a trap net. This was the only large predator fish sampled. Other fish sampled in low numbers were black bullhead, black crappie, blacknose shiner, bluegill and white sucker. Good water quality characteristics and the presence of a modest population of rainbow smelt appear to make Iron Chief Complex suitable for a cold-water species such as lake trout.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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