Jessie Lake (Itasca County)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31078600

DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Jessie Lake (Itasca County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (682,000 fish).

• Jessie Lake (Itasca County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 8,216,000 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 42 ft; surface area 1,740 acres, 455 littoral acres, 9.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.2 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), and 3 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: September 9, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Itasca County, nearest town Talmoon; DNR lake number (DOW) 31078600.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/10/1980 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

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.

Jessie Lake is a class 27 lake about two miles west of Talmoon, MN, in the Big Fork River watershed. In fall 2025, biologists used nighttime electrofishing to collect young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleye as part of a statewide study comparing lakes with and without Zebra Mussels. Various management strategies have been attempted to produce a quality Walleye fishery on Jessie Lake. Prior studies observed stronger Walleye year-classes were generally associated with years of stocking. As a result, more than 10 years ago it was decided to stock Walleye fry on an annual basis but at lower densities. The goal was to make sure fry were in the system when the environmental conditions were favorable for producing good year-classes and reduce the chance of creating the boom or bust fishery that had been observed earlier. In fall 2025, electrofishing caught 92 young Walleye, which equals 55 fish per hour of sampling effort. These fish were between 4.8 and 7.2 inches long and averaged 6.3 inches. One older (yearling) Walleye measuring 9.1 inches was also caught. Water temperatures were in the upper 60s, and water clarity was good, which helped with sampling. Overall, both the number of young fish and their growth were better than average, suggesting 2025 had good conditions for young Walleye in Jessie Lake. This was different from nearby lakes like Lake Winnibigoshish and Bowstring Lake, where reproduction and survival were below average. Anglers should remember that Walleye reproduction can vary a lot from year to year. Spring weather, especially water temperatures and timing, plays a big role in how many young fish survive. Fall electrofishing is useful for tracking trends over time, but a single year of results doesn't always predict future fishing success.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, September 9, 2025.

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