Isabella Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38039600
Isabella Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Isabella Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 19 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 1,257 acres, 966 littoral acres, 17.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Isabella; DNR lake number (DOW) 38039600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/9/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| PO | USF | 56 rod portage from the parking lot at Entry Point #35. |
| PO | USF | Portage trail from Boga Lake. Approximately 16 rods long. |
DNR fish survey, 2016
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUN | Special trap nets | 25.25 | 101 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | Special trap nets | 24.50 | 98 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Special trap nets | 14.00 | 56 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 8.00 | 32 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 4.75 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Special trap nets | 1.75 | 7 | 0.02 |
| Common shiner | Special trap nets | 1.25 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Special trap nets | 1.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.25 | 87 | 0.51 |
| Lake whitefish | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 72 | 0.63 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 4.58 | 55 | 1.64 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.92 | 47 | 0.26 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.58 | 19 | 5.18 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.58 | 19 | 0.33 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 14 | 0.43 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.08 | 1 | 0.08 |
| SUN | Minnow traps | 0.36 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Minnow traps | 0.27 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Minnow traps | 0.09 | 1 | 0.00 |
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.
Isabella Lake has an area of 1,257 acres and has a maximum depth of 19 feet. It is located entirely with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) approximately 13 miles north of Isabella, MN off of USFS Road 377 (Tomahawk Road). The lake has three different access points. The main access to Isabella Lake is a 56 rod portage from the parking lot at BWCAW Entry Point 35, the second access is a 16 rod portage from Boga Lake on the eastern shore, and the third access is a 28 rod portage from the Isabella River on the western shore. There are currently nine campsites open to public use on the lake with an additional campsite being classified as a resting site. Isabella Lake gets a moderate to high use during the summer by visitors to the BWCAW. Water clarity is poor with visibility measured to 5.5 feet in brown bog-stained water. The shoreline and watershed around the lake are recovering from the Pagami Creek Fire, which moved through the area in 2011. A majority of the shoreline contains young plant growth as the forest regenerates. The southeastern shore was the not affected by the fire and remains in a completely forested state. The entire shoreline and watershed is under public ownership. The aquatic and riparian plant community is diverse with 31 species present in the lake. Boulder, ledge rock, and sand are the most common substrates. Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch are the most common game fish in the lake. The 2016 standard survey was conducted to monitor abundance and size structure of the fish populations in Isabella Lake. The survey also sought to determine the status of Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass populations in the lake, which were first found in 2006. The Walleye catch was above average relative to similar lakes in the Northeastern Minnesota with a total of 87 fish sampled in gill nets. The average length of Walleye was 11.6 inches with an average weight of 0.7 pounds. Even with the high number of Walleye sampled, only 5% of the catch was over 15 inches long. The largest Walleye sampled was 21.2 inches long and weighed 2.8 pounds. Eight year classes were represented in the 2016 survey indicating consistent recruitment to the population. Walleye growth was slow for the Finland Area. The 2016 Northern Pike catch was below average for lakes in the Finland Area with 19 fish sampled. The average weight of the Northern Pike sampled was 5.2 pounds and average length was 27.1 inches. Of the 19 Northern Pike sampled, five were over 35 inches long. The largest Northern Pike caught was 39.4 inches long and weighed…
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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