Itasca Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 15001600
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Itasca Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (227,000 fish).
- Itasca Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,814,900 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 40 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 1,065 acres, 449 littoral acres, 14.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Clearwater County, nearest town Lake Itasca; DNR lake number (DOW) 15001600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/12/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 227,000 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 229,000 | 1.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 454,000 | 3.9 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 454,000 | 3.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 450,900 | 3.7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | East side of north arm in T.143;R.36;S.2; two concrete ramps. Approximately 20 unit parking. State park permit required. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Itasca Lake on August 5th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. During the summer, Cisco require a layer of oxythermal habitat that contains water temperatures below 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) and dissolved oxygen concentrations above 3.0 mg/L. Based on the profile from the deepest basin, the water temperature decreased below 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) at 18.6 feet and the dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to 3.0 mg/L at 16.2 feet at the time of sampling. Therefore, the water column did not contain a layer of water with sufficient temperature and dissolved oxygen for Cisco. Further, the temperature at which dissolved oxygen decreased to 3.0 mg/L (i.e., TDO3, a single variable to characterize oxythermal habitat) was 22.3 degrees C (72.1 degrees F). TDO3 values warmer than 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) indicate that oxythermal conditions were unsuitable for Cisco at the time of the survey. Data collected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources during the late summer period of maximum oxythermal stress (July 26th to Aug 24th) in 4 years, between 2006-2023, indicate unsuitable oxythermal habitat in most years when surveyed, with the most favorable conditions recorded in 2023 when the suitable oxythermal habitat layer was 9.0 feet thick. No other surveys contained a suitable oxythermal habitat layer. When inadequate oxythermal habitat is available, Cisco are squeezed into unfavorable, warmer water conditions and experience higher levels of stress.
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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