Lower (South) Island Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 09006002
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Lower (South) Island Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (420,000 fish).
- Lower (South) Island Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,100,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 22 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 320 acres, 207 littoral acres, 5.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Carlton County, nearest town Cromwell; DNR lake number (DOW) 09006002.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/14/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 420,000 | 4.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 420,000 | 4.2 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 420,000 | 4.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 420,000 | 4.2 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 420,000 | 3.7 |
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 | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 202.33 | 607 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 13.00 | 39 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 5.67 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 5.00 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 2.67 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 33.30 | 37 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 6.30 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 4.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 4.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 4.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 3.60 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | Backpack electrofishing | 0.90 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 0.90 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 33.00 | 132 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | 15-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 10.67 | 96 | 0.18 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 3.44 | 31 | 0.79 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 24 | 0.21 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 1.41 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.36 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 4.70 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 1.52 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Lower (South) Island Lake was conducted on July 8th, 2024 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations, but one station was sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample three stations, a 15-foot seine was used at four stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 14 species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Iowa Darter, Mottled Sculpin, and Rock Bass) and no species that are tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted on July 8th, 2024 by IBI Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill, Yellow Bullhead, and Pumpkinseed comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number, and Bowfin, Northern Pike, and Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by biomass. The number of Bluegill and Black Crappie sampled per net were above the 25% quartile for similar Lake Class 29 lakes. Additionally, the mean weights of Bluegill and Black Crappie sampled per net were above the 50% quartile for Lake Class 29 lakes. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a July 2023 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Iowa Darter, Mottled Sculpin, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. An additional survey was completed on Lower (South) Island Lake in June 2023 resulting in a similar FIBI score. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi…
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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