Johnson Lake (St. Louis County)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69011700
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Johnson Lake (St. Louis County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (212,000 fish).
- Johnson Lake (St. Louis County) has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,065,978 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 18 ft; surface area 456 acres, 423 littoral acres, 10.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, burbot, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69011700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 212,000 | 2.3 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 212,000 | 1.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 212,000 | 2.2 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 212,000 | 2.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 212,000 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,978 | 229.9 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | USF | - Some rocks in water at landing, could hamper launching a large boat. Parking for approx 6 vehicles w/ trailers. |
| CA | USF | - 0.75 mile portage from Beaver River. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 23.78 | 214 | 0.22 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 10.78 | 97 | 0.48 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 6.33 | 57 | 0.35 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 24 | 3.13 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 3.54 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 2.75 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.11 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 3.42 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 7.25 | 58 | 2.03 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.25 | 26 | 0.39 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.88 | 23 | 1.69 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.62 | 21 | 0.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 12 | 0.29 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 12 | 0.10 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 0.62 | 5 | 0.10 |
| Burbot | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 2 | 1.48 |
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.
Johnson Lake is located approximately 6 miles south of Ely in the Superior National Forest. The rolling shoreline is forested in a pine-hardwood mix and is lightly developed by area standards. Maximum depth is 19 feet and much of the lake is shallower than 15 feet. A heavy bog stain limits water clarity, which was four feet at the time of the survey. Submerged vegetation is sparse, but emergent vegetation is prominent in shallow bays. A gravel access is located on the southeast side of the lake off CR 21. Shallow rocks and tight corners can make launching a large boat difficult. A 3/4 mile portage to the Beaver River is located on the west end of Johnson Lake and is most often used by snowmobiles. Eleven species of fish were sampled in this survey of Johnson Lake. Total yield for both gill nets (22.6 lbs/net) and trap nets (27.7 lbs/net) were the highest on record for the lake. Northern pike dominated the gill net catch and bluegill dominated the trap net sets. Black crappie were sampled in numbers near their historic average. Low numbers of other gamefish, including walleye and largemouth bass, were also sampled. Black bullhead were first detected in 2018, and were present in greater size and abundance in 2022. Northern pike numbers (7.3/gill net) were the highest surveyed for the lake and above the third quartile (6.3/gill net) when compared to similar lakes in the area. The average pike measured 21 inches which was larger than the historic average of 19.5 inches. Seventeen percent of the pike were longer than 24 inches, and the largest pike was 31 inches. Though not represented in this survey Johnson has produced trophy pike occasionally. Bluegill numbers (23.8/trap net) were also the highest on record and well above the third quartile (6.3/gill net) of the lake class. The average bluegill was just over 6 inches which was similar to the average for Johnson Lake. Only 2% of the bluegill were 8 inches or larger. Growth rates were average for the lake class. The largest bluegill was nearly 10 inches long. Anglers are encouraged to release large bluegill to maintain quality size structure. Black crappie abundance (6.3/trap net) was on par with the historic average for this lake and above average (3.1/trap net) for its lake class. The crappie average length was just over 8 inches, which was near the overall lake average. Forty-six percent of the crappie sampled in 2018 were 8 inches or larger with a maximum length of 11 inches. The 2014 and 2018 year classes were most prevalent. Six walleye were sampled with the majority captured in trap nets. Sizes…
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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