Lower Panasa Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31011200
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Lower Panasa Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (200,000 fish).
- Lower Panasa Lake has 7 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 715,882 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 248 acres, 169 littoral acres, 3.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Calumet; DNR lake number (DOW) 31011200.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 1.9 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,239 | 169.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 300,000 | 2.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,718 | 169.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,549 | 169.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,376 | 168.8 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | PRI |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 19.60 | 98 | 0.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 8.20 | 41 | 2.02 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.80 | 9 | 0.37 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.80 | 9 | 0.99 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.60 | 8 | 1.12 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.40 | 7 | 1.35 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.20 | 6 | 3.10 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.20 | 6 | 0.42 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 7.75 | 62 | 0.44 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.50 | 20 | 0.56 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.38 | 19 | 0.59 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.25 | 18 | 0.86 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.38 | 11 | 0.30 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 9 | 0.72 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.88 | 7 | 4.68 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 6 | 0.92 |
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.
Lower Panasa Lake is a shallow, productive lake located 1.5 miles southeast of Calumet, MN in the Mississippi River watershed. Similar area lakes would include Little Split Hand and Jay Gould. The 2015 lake management plan (LMP) listed Walleye as a primary management species, with Black Crappie and Northern Pike as a secondary management species. The goal was to increase the Walleye catch to 3.0 fish/net. A standard survey using 5 gill nets and 8 trap nets was conducted in August 2024 to assess the status of the fishery. Black Crappie catches have generally been low in Lower Panasa. The 2024 catch of 2.5/trap net was better than other lakes with similar habitat and was the second highest since 1974. Sampled crappie ranged from 7.9 to 11.9 inches and averaged 10.1 inches. Only three year-classes were observed with fish ranging from age 3 to 5. Growth was fast compared to other lakes. Fish averaged 9.6 inches after four years of growth. Quality Black Crappie angling opportunities exist when strong year-classes reach a size anglers desire. The Bluegill population can be characterized as having low numbers of moderate sized fish. Trap-net catch rates increased from 1.1/net in 2014 to 8.4/net in 2024. Size structure from the trap nets was generally good with nearly 47% of the Bluegill exceeding 8 inches. Sampled fish ranged from 3.1 to 9.8 inches and averaged 7.8 inches. Lower Panasa likely provides decent Bluegill fishing opportunities at times. Northern Pike catches have often been about average compared to other lakes with similar habitat. Pike were sampled at a rate of 8.2/gill net in 2024. Northern Pike ranged from 14.5 to 28.4 inches and averaged 21.8 inches. Few fish over 28 inches have ever been sampled. Lower Panasa is known for having higher numbers of smaller pike and these population attributes are not desirable because they result in slow growth. Anglers and spearers are encouraged to keep fish under 22 inches and not harvest fish over 26 inches to improve size structure. Attempts to create a Walleye fishery in Lower Panasa have been tried despite these types of lakes not having the habitat to succeed. Walleye catches have ranged from 0.8 to 3.3 fish/gill net but has been 1.2/gill net in the last two surveys. The 2024 survey evaluated a period where Walleye fry or fingerlings were stocked five times in the prior 10 years. The catch of 1.2/gill net failed to meet the management goal of 3.0/net. Walleye ranged from 16.8 to 27.0 inches and averaged 20.4 inches. Sample sizes were too low to evaluate age and growth. Recent survey data suggests…
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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