Little Dry Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69104000
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Little Dry Lake since 2021, most recently brook trout fingerlings in 2025 (650 fish).
- Little Dry Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2021-2025): brown trout (2), splake (2), brook trout (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is splake: 1,392 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 27 ft; surface area 15 acres, 10 littoral acres, 0.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, brown trout, splake, white sucker.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69104000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/21/1976 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 650 | 26.0 |
| 2024 | Brown Trout | fingerlings | 325 | 13.0 |
| 2023 | Splake | fingerlings | 650 | 19.6 |
| 2022 | Splake | fingerlings | 742 | 20.3 |
| 2021 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 325 | 61.3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| C | USF | Navigable channel from Dry Lake. |
| CA | USF | - 125 yard portage from Bass Lake to Dry Lake. |
| CA | USF | - 1/4 mi portage from High Lake to Dry Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Little Dry Lake on August 6th, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. Cisco require a layer of oxythermal habitat that contains water temperatures below 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) and dissolved oxygen concentrations above 3.0 mg/L. Based on data collected from the deepest basin (maximum sampled depth was 23.0 feet), the water temperature decreased to 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) at 9.6 feet and the dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to 3.0 mg/L at 9.7 feet at the time of sampling. This layer in the water column was 0.2 feet, indicating oxythermal habitat for Cisco was present but marginal. Further, the temperature at which dissolved oxygen decreased to 3.0 mg/L (i.e., TDO3, a single variable to characterize oxythermal habitat) was 21.1 degrees C (70.0 degrees F). TDO3 values cooler than 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) indicate that oxythermal conditions were marginal for Cisco at the time of the survey as the layer was confined to less than 3 feet of suitable habitat at the time of the survey. Data collected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources during the period of maximum oxythermal stress (July 26th to Aug 24th) in 2024 also indicated marginally suitable oxythermal habitat. In four fisheries surveys on Little Dry from 2010 through 2023, only one Cisco was caught. Little Dry is connected by a channel to Dry Lake, and Dry Lake supports a viable Cisco population. When adequate oxythermal habitat is not available, Cisco are squeezed into unfavorable, warmer water conditions and experience higher levels of stress. Cisco may be moving between lakes during periods of high oxythermal stress.
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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