Little Iron Lake

Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16035500

DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Little Iron Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2016 (2,374 fish).

• Little Iron Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2016-2016): walleye (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,374 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 18 ft; surface area 115 acres, 78 littoral acres, 7.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.8 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, green sunfish, northern pike, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 5, 2023 (standard survey).
• Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16035500.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2023

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.

Little Iron is a 115-acre lake located 38 miles north of Grand Marais off the Gunflint Trail. Public access is through a boat landing on the northeast bay of the lake. Historically, Little Iron Lake was managed for northern pike, walleye, and bluegill. After a long history of walleye stocking efforts with little success, the lake is now managed for bluegill and northern pike. The 2023 survey was the first of two surveys scheduled to evaluate the bluegill, northern pike, and walleye populations. Walleye abundance was again low in 2023 and had been declining since the initial survey in 1969. Walleye catch rates have been poor (less than 1 fish per net) since 2000. The only walleye captured in the survey was 21 inches and was 8 years old. It was not a stocked fish. Recent surveys suggest that natural reproduction cannot maintain the walleye population at desired levels in Little Iron Lake. The northern pike catch was similar to previous surveys and exceeded the current management goal. Catch rates were slightly below average for similar area lakes. Walleye populations declined over time in Little Iron Lake while northern pike populations increased. Northern pike ranged from 10.3 to 26.9 inches with a mean of 19.1 inches. Northern pike fishing should continue to be relatively good for small to medium sized fish. Little Iron Lake is one of just a handful of lakes in Cook County that support significant numbers of bluegill. The relative abundance in standard trap nets was the highest recorded at 4.56 fish/net and exceeded the current management goal. Catch rates are much higher than area averages for similar Minnesota lakes. Bluegill ranged from 3.4 to 10.6 inches with a mean of 4.76 inches. Aging estimates indicated the presence of 4 naturally reproduced year classes with average growth rates. Good numbers of smaller sized bluegill can be found in Little Iron Lake with an opportunity to find a few large fish. Forage for game fish appeared to have been scarce in recent surveys. No yellow perch were captured in the gill net catch and only two individuals were captured in the trap nets. The white sucker and rock bass catch was also low. The large numbers of small bluegill sampled in trap nets suggested that they may have been an important forage source for the northern pike population.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 5, 2023.

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