Loon Lake (Cook County)
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16044800
Loon Lake (Cook County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Loon Lake (Cook County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 202 ft; surface area 1,095 acres, 137 littoral acres, 14.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, cisco species, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake trout, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16044800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/26/1993 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | USF | USFS launch on the west end of the lake. |
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | Rough access on the east end of the lake, off the end of County Road 51. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock bass | Shallow gill nets | 20.00 | 100 | 0.16 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Shallow gill nets | 3.20 | 16 | 0.52 |
| Smallmouth bass | Shallow gill nets | 2.00 | 10 | 0.37 |
| Bluegill | Shallow gill nets | 1.80 | 9 | 0.19 |
| Northern pike | Shallow gill nets | 1.40 | 7 | 4.14 |
| Walleye | Shallow gill nets | 0.40 | 2 | 1.55 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Deep gill nets | 14.14 | 99 | 0.52 |
| Lake trout | Deep gill nets | 2.43 | 17 | 2.89 |
| Rock bass | Deep gill nets | 0.43 | 3 | 0.44 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 8.58 | 103 | 0.15 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.42 | 17 | 0.20 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.08 | 13 | 0.16 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 2.71 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 0.50 |
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.
Loon Lake is a large, 1,096-acre lake within Cook County and has a maximum depth of 202 ft. There is a small concrete boat access and two remote campsites located on the northwest side of the lake, just off the Gunflint Trail. Loon Lake is primarily managed for lake trout and smallmouth bass. In 2024, a standard survey was conducted using gillnets and trap nets to assess the current fish community. Lake trout are the primary management species in Loon Lake and catches in the 2024 survey met management goals. Lake trout catch rates were just below the long-term average for the lake but have been slowly declining since 1993. Lake trout lengths ranged from 11.0 to 32.8 inches, with an average size of 18.5 inches. Quality and preferred sizes of lake trout were present in Loon Lake, with 29% of the fish exceeding 20.0 inches and 12% exceeding 26.0 inches. Lake trout growth was slow, as it took fish 12 years to reach 16.0 inches on average. Lake trout can grow big in Loon Lake due to the excellent forage species, cisco, present within the lake. Anglers looking to target lake trout on Loon Lake should expect to catch fair numbers of quality sized fish with the opportunity to catch trophy sized individuals. Smallmouth bass are the secondary management species within Loon Lake and catches in the 2024 survey met management goals. Catch rates in trap nets were average for Loon Lake, but very high in gill nets. This is likely due to an expansion of smallmouth bass into deeper waters where gill nets are typically set. Smallmouth bass lengths ranged from 5.3 to 14.7 inches and were relatively small on average. Only one smallmouth bass was larger than 14.0 inches from the survey. Anglers looking to target smallmouth bass on Loon Lake should expect to catch a relatively high number of small fish rather than large individuals. Northern pike catch rates have been stable since 2007 but were observed at relatively low numbers during the 2024 survey. Northern pike ranged from 21.7 to 33.1 inches and averaged 26.5 inches. Loon Lake has been known to produce some larger sized northern pike since cisco are present and provide a high-quality forage. Walleye catch rates were below the long-term average but have always been low in Loon Lake. Walleye lengths ranged from 9.9 to 17.4 inches and averaged 14.1 inches. Walleye growth was relatively fast in Loon Lake compared to other Grand Marais area lakes, taking only three years to reach 16.0 inches on average. Rock bass abundance has continued to increase in Loon Lake and catch rates from the 2024 survey were the highest on…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.