Loon Lake (St. Louis County, DOW 69047000)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69047000
Loon Lake (St. Louis County, DOW 69047000) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Loon Lake (St. Louis County, DOW 69047000) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 76 ft; surface area 2,498 acres, 48.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, burbot, cisco species, lake whitefish, northern pike, redhorse, rock bass, sauger, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, and 1 more.
- 5 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Crane Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 69047000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1938 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| PO | Minnesota DNR | Mechanical or carry-in portage at Loon Falls. |
| PO | USF | - It is approx. 6.3 mi. from the Echo Tr. through the Pauness Lakes to Loon Lake. There are 3 sets of rapids to portage around. |
| PO | Minnesota DNR | - A mechanical portage operates between Lac La Croix and Loon Lake. A carry-in portage trail is also available. |
| PO | USF | - The trail from Heritage Creek is approx. 0.8 miles long. |
| PO | USF | - The portage trail from Slim Lake is approx. 0.5 miles long. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 9.67 | 116 | 0.84 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.42 | 41 | 2.58 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 3.42 | 41 | 2.01 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Standard gill nets | 3.25 | 39 | 0.16 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.58 | 31 | 2.10 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 20 | 0.10 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 15 | 0.27 |
| Lake whitefish | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 12 | 1.79 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 16 | 0.18 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.42 | 5 | 0.44 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 4 | 1.26 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 4 | 0.53 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 0.57 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 4.16 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.08 | 1 | 0.11 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.08 | 1 | 0.02 |
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 located on the border between Minnesota and the Province of Ontario. There is no road access, thus, anglers typically gain access by traveling by boat from road access points located on Crane Lake. Loon Lake is a 2,498 acre lake with a maximum depth of 76 feet; 2,017 acres are in Minnesota. Located 8 miles southeast of the Town of Crane Lake, the lake has a rocky irregular shoreline, many islands, and contains tannin stained water with low fertility, typical of Canadian Shield lakes. The U.S. portion of the lake lies entirely within the Superior National Forest Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, so human development is limited. The Forest Service maintains several campsites on the lake and portage trails to surrounding lakes. Loon Lake has no special regulations. Fishing regulations follow the Canada-Minnesota border waters regulations. Previous management plans identify several long range goals, including maintaining a native fish community with Walleye as the top predator. A total of 13 species were caught during the 2022 fisheries assessment. Walleye and Northern Pike were the most common species captured. Other commonly sampled species included Cisco, White Sucker, Smallmouth Bass and Yellow Perch. Walleye abundance was 9.7 fish per net, which was above the management goal and above average for similar lakes. This is greater than the historical mean of 5.8 fish per net and was the highest catch rate ever recorded on Loon Lake. Length ranged from 7.4 to 22.3 inches, with an average of 13.1 inches. Average weight was 0.8 pounds, which was below average for similar lakes. A total of 11 year-classes were present and ranged from 1-12 years. Even though the average weight was less than average for similar lakes, there are still good quality Walleye in Loon Lake. There are good numbers of 14" - 20" Walleyes present providing good fishing opportunities. Smallmouth Bass abundance was 2.6 fish per net, which was well above average for similar lakes. This is four times greater than the historic mean of 0.6 fish per net and was the highest catch rate ever recorded on Loon Lake. Length ranged from 10.0 to 20.1 inches, with an average of 15.4 inches. Average weight was 2.1 pounds, which was well above average for similar lakes. A total of 11 year-classes were present and ranged from 2-16 years. Overall, the Smallmouth Bass population in Loon Lake looks healthy. There are good numbers of 12" - 20" Smallmouth Bass present providing good fishing opportunities. Black Crappie abundance was 0.4 fish per net, which was below average for similar lakes.…
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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