Lake of the Isles
Hennepin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 27004000
Lake of the Isles has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Lake of the Isles shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 31 ft; surface area 114 acres, 89 littoral acres, 3.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hennepin County, nearest town Minneapolis; DNR lake number (DOW) 27004000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| CA | city | - Locations near canoe/kayak racks (seasonal fee permits required for rack use) and multiple points along shore allow free access for carry-in craft (subject to park hours, rules, and restrictions). Larger boats (electric-trolling motor use only) can access from the Bde Maka Ska/Lake Calhoun boat ramp and traveling through channel. A navigable channel also connects to Cedar Lake. City of Minneapolis Parks/Rec Board web site or contact information has further access/use details. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 20.56 | 185 | 0.09 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.15 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 2.39 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.32 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.13 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.05 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 6.68 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.43 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 36 | 2.65 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 30 | 0.08 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 0.15 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 5 | 1.18 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.10 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.11 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.31 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.12 |
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.
Lake of the Isles is a 112 acre lake located in the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. The lake has a maximum depth of 31 feet, but the majority of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Vegetation can be very abundant in Lake of the Isles, which may create challenges for angling. Lake of the Isles is not stocked, however naturally reproducing populations of Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill and Black Crappie create a self-sustaining fishery. The entire shoreline of the lake is owned by the city of Minneapolis and is maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department. There is a walking path around the shoreline of the lake. Boaters are not allowed to use gas motors on Lake of the Isles, and the lake is very popular among kayakers, canoers, and paddle boarders. There are two canoe launches on Lake of the Isles, and people trailering larger boats should consider accessing Lake of the Isles through the channel connecting to Bde Maka Ska, where there is a public concrete boat ramp. A Standard Survey consisting of 6 gill nets and 9 trap nets was conducted in 2024 to assess the game fish populations. The lake holds good numbers of Northern Pike. They tend to medium-sized and should offer good angling opportunity. The average size of Northern Pike in 2024's survey was 23.7 inches and 3.0 pounds. The largest Northern Pike sampled was 32.8 inches long, and 76% of the fish sampled were over 21 inches long. Largemouth Bass sampling was not conducted in this survey however several bass were incidentally sampled by gill net. The fish ranged between 7.4 and 17.9 inches long. Lake of the Isles offers good quality habitat for Largemouth Bass. Walleye are not stocked into Lake of the Isles, however one 9.5 inch fish was sampled in 2024. It most likely moved into the lake from Bde Maka Ska, where they are stocked. Bluegill were sampled in numbers that are typical for this type of lake. The fish tended to be small in this survey, with an average size of 4.9 inches. Only 16% of the sampled Bluegill were larger than 6 inches. Black Crappie were sampled in lower numbers for this type of lake, and 32% of the sampled fish exceeded 8 inches. Other fish sampled in low abundance included Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Bullhead and Yellow Perch.
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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