Island Lake (Becker County)
Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03015300
Island Lake (Becker County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Island Lake (Becker County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 1,179 acres, 457 littoral acres, 14.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Becker County, nearest town Snellman; DNR lake number (DOW) 03015300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/30/1986 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | East shore in the southwest quarter of section 17. - Parking available for approx 10 rigs. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 17.11 | 154 | 1.45 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 13.22 | 119 | 0.57 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 12.11 | 109 | 0.52 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 6.89 | 62 | 1.29 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.22 | 38 | 1.79 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 4.11 | 37 | 0.54 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.56 | 23 | 0.15 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.83 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.92 | 107 | 0.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.42 | 17 | 0.44 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.25 | 15 | 1.74 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 14 | 0.43 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 0.38 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 0.85 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 8 | 0.24 |
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.
Island is a 1,142-acre, class 25 lake located in central Becker County approximately 5.5 miles northwest of Snellman. The lake offers a quality multi-species fishery for Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Smallmouth Bass. Water quality and fish habitat in Island Lake are also well suited for Walleyes, with natural reproduction sustaining this species. No Walleye stocking has been done since 1985 and Island Lake is one of only three lakes in the Detroit Lakes Management Area to have a Walleye population entirely sustained by natural reproduction. A reduced daily limit regulation of 10 Bluegill was implemented in March 2022. The gill net catch rate for Walleye in 2023 was 17 fish per net. This is just above the lake's long-term average of 16 fish per net. The average length of Walleyes sampled in 2023 was 16 inches and lengths ranged from eight to 27 inches. The age frequency of sampled Walleye was mostly comprised of young fish, with several good year classes shaping up to provide quality fishing in the future. Gill net catches of Northern Pike have historically been quite stable. The catch rate in 2023 was four fish per net, which was the highest on record, and well above the historical average. Pike tend to be on the smaller side in Island Lake, and lengths of pike ranged from 17 to 27 inches with an average length of 20 inches in 2023. Trap nets captured only nine Bluegill per net in 2023. This catch rate was well below the lake's average catch of 31 fish per net. Bluegill in trap nets averaged five inches in length and ranged from 3 to 10 inches. Gill nets also captured a fair number of Bluegill, despite not being a standard method for catching Bluegill. Their average size was bigger than trap nets at 8 ½ inches. The primary goal of the Bluegill special regulation that was implemented in March 2022 is to maintain the quality Bluegill population in Island Lake. Other sunfish species observed during the survey in 2023 included Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Black Crappie. Historically, the numbers of Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie captured during fish surveys in Island Lake have been quite low, and 2023 was no exception. The size of fish that were observed was 14 to 16 inches for Largemouth Bass and 5 to 13 inches for Black Crappie. Smallmouth Bass numbers observed in gill nets reached a new record at seven smallmouth per net. This is also well above the historical average of two fish per net. The mean length of Smallmouth Bass was 13 inches and lengths ranged from five to 18 inches. The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate declined yet again to just…
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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