Kinney Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69078100
DNR records show 14 stocking entries at Kinney Lake since 2016, most recently rainbow trout yearlings in 2025 (2,400 fish).
- Kinney Lake has 14 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (12), splake (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 19,300 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 160 ft; surface area 45 acres, 7 littoral acres, 1.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: green sunfish, rainbow smelt, rainbow trout, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Kinney; DNR lake number (DOW) 69078100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,400 | 800.0 |
| 2025 | Splake | yearlings | 1,970 | 661.1 |
| 2024 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,400 | 800.0 |
| 2023 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,200 | 400.0 |
| 2023 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,000 | 400.0 |
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,400 | 800.0 |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,400 | 800.0 |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,200 | 400.0 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,400 | 800.0 |
| 2019 | Splake | yearlings | 2,668 | 813.4 |
| 2018 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 600 | 200.0 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,200 | 400.0 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout2 | yearlings | 1,200 | 400.0 |
| 2016 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 900 | 300.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| asphalt ramp | - |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Small-mesh gill nets | 1027.00 | 1,027 | 0.00 |
| Common shiner | Small-mesh gill nets | 66.00 | 66 | 0.02 |
| White sucker | Small-mesh gill nets | 3.00 | 3 | 0.85 |
| Creek chub | Small-mesh gill nets | 1.00 | 1 | 0.20 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 214.00 | 428 | 0.02 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 58.00 | 116 | 0.49 |
| Common shiner | Standard gill nets | 25.50 | 51 | 0.08 |
| Rainbow trout | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 0.78 |
| Green sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 0.06 |
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.
Kinney Mine Pit has a long history of stream trout management and is popular with anglers. Yearling Rainbow Trout were cooperatively stocked biannually in the spring and fall by a private vendor which has been contracted by Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Anecdotal reports suggest these stockings have traditionally provided a popular fishery, but netting indicated fish over 15 inches were seldom sampled. The 2024 survey found Rainbow Trout at the same abundance as 2018. The catch was considered low, but catches should be viewed cautiously due to the difficulty of netting mine pits (depth, steep shoreline, pelagic nature, etc.). Lengths of the trout were 13 inches and originated from the May stocking. Rainbow Smelt are an exotic species and have been documented in the pit. Small-mesh gill nets were added to the survey to better assess smelt. Only a few have been sampled since 2010. None were sampled in 2024. Yellow Perch were sampled at an exceptionally high rate of 214.0/gill net. The catch was nearly 50 times higher than the previous high. Lengths ranged from 5.9 to 9.3 inches with an average length of 7.1 inches. The one small-mesh gill net sampled 1,027 perch, noticeably more than 2010 (n=557) and 2018 (n=16). Lengths ranged from 3.1 to 7.5 inches with an average length of 4.6 inches in 2024. White Sucker were numerous, over five times of what would be expected for mine pits and previous surveys. Lengths ranged from 6.7 to 17.3 inches with an average length of 11.1 inches, and comparable to the previous survey. Other species sampled included Common Shiner, Creek Chub and Green Sunfish. The robust Yellow Perch and White Sucker populations, as well as the likelihood of Green Sunfish increasing, will make successful trout management more challenging.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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