Larson Lake (Itasca County)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31031700
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Larson Lake (Itasca County) since 2016, most recently splake yearlings in 2025 (1,542 fish).
- Larson Lake (Itasca County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): splake (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is splake: 27,954 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 177 ft; surface area 208 acres, 52 littoral acres, 3.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 18.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, northern pike, pumpkinseed, splake, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Effie; DNR lake number (DOW) 31031700.
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 | Splake | yearlings | 1,542 | 517.5 |
| 2023 | Splake | yearlings | 1,310 | 432.3 |
| 2020 | Splake | fingerlings | 5,242 | 169.1 |
| 2018 | Splake | fingerlings | 9,900 | 419.5 |
| 2016 | Splake | fingerlings | 9,960 | 237.1 |
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 | DNR-administered access at state campground on the west side of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkinseed | Minnow traps | 40.00 | 40 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Minnow traps | 6.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Minnow traps | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 10.50 | 63 | 0.11 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 5 | 2.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 6.14 |
| Splake | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 6.98 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 8.89 | 80 | 0.11 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.44 | 31 | 0.05 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.78 | 25 | 0.11 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.74 |
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.
Larson Lake is located 12 miles east of Effie, MN in the Big Fork River watershed. The lake has a surface area of 198 acres and a maximum depth of 177 feet. There is a DNR-administered access at the State Campground on the west side of the lake. The current lake management plan lists Splake as the primary species of management, with a goal of maintaining a gill-net catch at 2.0/net. Splake have been stocked in Larson Lake since 1988. The current state record Splake (13 lbs. 5.4 oz.) was caught from the lake in February 2001. Splake fingerlings are stocked in the fall in even-numbered years at a rate of 50/acre. A standard lake survey was conducted in August 2020 to assess the status of the fishery and the effectiveness of the stocking plan. Gill-net catches for Splake ranged from 0.8 to 6.8/net in previous surveys. The 2020 gill-net catch was 0.3/net, well below the management plan goal. The low catch rate suggests poor survival of stocked fingerlings. A change to stocking a more advanced life-stage (yearlings) could be considered. The two fish sampled were 10.2 and 30.5 inches. The largest trout was quickly measured, weighed and released, and weighed approximately 13.65 lbs. If accurate, this weight would exceed the current state record. Management of other trout species has been attempted in Larson Lake. Brown Trout yearlings were stocked in the springs of 2005 and 2007. Brown Trout management was discontinued after these initial stockings failed to produce a fishable population. Rainbow Trout were stocked as recently as 2003. Previous surveys indicated poor returns from Rainbow Trout stocking. Larson Lake was chemically reclaimed in 1966 to remove undesirable species. Several undesirable species have become re-established in the lake since that time. Yellow Perch were sampled at 10.5/gill net, up from the previous survey but near the historical average (10.1). Yellow Perch can be a competitor with stream trout in lakes, since they both utilize invertebrates as a prey source; however, Yellow Perch in Larson Lake also provide a prey source for Splake. Other species sampled in this survey included Black Bullhead, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed Sunfish and White Sucker.
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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