Low Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69007000
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Low Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (106,000 fish).
- Low Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 860,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 40 ft; surface area 316 acres, 211 littoral acres, 8.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69007000.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 106,000 | 1.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 106,000 | 1.1 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 106,000 | 1.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 106,000 | 1.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 106,000 | 1.1 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 330,000 | 3.1 |
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 | Public Access on east end of lake off Cloquet Line Road (USFS Rd. #1036). - Parking for several vehicles up the hill from the ramp. Some rocks in shallow water out from access. |
| PO | USF | 60 rod portage from Bass Lake at the west end of lake. - There is a short portage from Bass Lake to a small pond and then the portage continues to Low lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 56.67 | 85 | 1.20 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 8.67 | 13 | 0.89 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 45.67 | 411 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 6.44 | 58 | 0.40 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.57 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 1.46 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.22 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.18 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.57 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 9.67 | 58 | 0.35 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 32 | 0.49 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.17 | 19 | 4.84 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.17 | 19 | 1.66 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 18 | 1.78 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 14 | 2.34 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.14 |
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.
Low is a 316-acre lake located four miles northeast of Ely in the Superior National Forest. It is comparable to Armstrong, Mud, and Wolf lakes. Low was stratified on 07/15/24 with a thermocline at 20 feet, and dissolved oxygen levels sufficient for fish absent below. Secchi visibility was seven feet, and the lake was brown with bog-stain. Aquatic vegetation is locally abundant, especially in the east bay and outlet to the Range River and grows to a depth of 10 feet. A majority of the shoreline is publicly owned with few private parcels. Shoreline development is limited to a property north of the public landing and a wilderness field station owned by Coe College on the eastern shore. Total catch in gill nets (27.0/net) was close to the long-term average for Low. Yield (37.5 lb/net) was identical to the lake average. Gill net catches were an almost even mix northern pike, smallmouth bass, and walleye. Relatively high catches of black crappie and bluegill occurred. Average numbers of white sucker and a pair of yellow perch were also sampled. The trap net catch (57.6/net) was the second highest sampled from Low. Bluegill were the primary species sampled along with black crappie. Northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye and yellow perch were also present in low numbers. Walleye catch (3.2/gill net) was lower than typical. Lengths ranged from 12 to 22 inches with an average of 16 inches which was greater than normal for Low. Ages ranged from two to seven years, and all walleye were from stocked years. Both 2019 and 2021 were notable year classes. Northern pike abundance (3.2/net) was typical for both Low and similar area lakes. Lengths ranged from 16 to 36 inches with an average length of 26 inches higher than normal. Northern pike greater than 30 inches represented 37% of the catch. The bluegill catch (45.7/trap net) was the second highest sampled from Low. It was well above average for a lake in the Tower area. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3 to 9 inches with a mean length of 6.5 inches, in-line with the lake average. Quality size structure remained with about 18% of the catch greater than eight inches in length. Bluegill growth was slightly greater than average. Black Crappie numbers (6.4/trap net) were greater than normal for Low and for the area. Lengths ranged from 4 to just shy of 11 inches with a mean length close to 9 inches typical for the lake. The black crappie gill net catch (9.7/net) was also notable. The largest crappie sampled in the survey (11.8 inches) was captured in a gill net. Three electrofishing stations were sampled, each fished for 30…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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