Lucky Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31060300
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Lucky Lake since 2016, most recently splake fingerlings in 2024 (730 fish).
- Lucky Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2024): brown trout (3), splake (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is brown trout: 1,800 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 44 ft; surface area 14 acres, 8 littoral acres, 0.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: brown trout, white sucker.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Grand Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 31060300.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Splake | fingerlings | 730 | 23.0 |
| 2022 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 600 | 150.0 |
| 2018 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 600 | 153.8 |
| 2016 | Brown Trout | yearlings | 600 | 166.7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | USF |
DNR fish survey, 2011
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead minnow | Minnow traps | 44.00 | 176 | 0.00 |
| Northern redbelly dace | Minnow traps | 37.25 | 149 | 0.00 |
| Brook stickleback | Minnow traps | 3.50 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Minnow traps | 1.75 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 27.00 | 27 | 0.08 |
| Brown trout | Standard gill nets | 20.00 | 20 | 1.61 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 5 | 0.69 |
| Golden shiner | 1/2-in trap nets | 5.56 | 89 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | 1/2-in trap nets | 3.62 | 58 | 0.84 |
| Brown trout | 1/2-in trap nets | 0.50 | 8 | 1.63 |
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.
Lucky Lake is located about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids MN, within the Soumi Hills semi-primitive non-motorized area in the Chippewa National Forest. The relatively small12 acre lake has almost eight littoral acres and a max depth of 44 feet, and a shoreline length about 0.7 miles. There is one U.S. Forest Service carry-in access on the east side of lake. Lucky has been exclusively managed for brown trout since being reclaimed in 1973. Biennial spring stocking of yearling brown trout in even years has occurred since 1988. One 24 hour gill net sampled 20 brown trout, and due to the high catch the other 24 hr net was not set. Lengths ranged from 13 to 20.1 inches with an average length of 15.8 inches. A total of 16 - half inch trap net sets sampled eight brown trout for a rate of 0.5/net. Lengths ranged from 13.6 to 17.9 inches with an average length of 15.6 inches. Length frequency from both gears suggests almost all of these fish are from the spring 2010 stocking indicating over-winter survival. One 20 inch gill net sampled fish could have possibly originated from the 2008 stocking. The 2006 assessment had a higher catch in both gears, 47 in one gill net and 40 in 32 trap net sets. This high catch was predictable due to sampling the spring stocking and not directly comparable to the 2011 assessment. The gill net caught five white sucker while trap nets sampled 58 for a rate of 3.6/set. Both gears caught more suckers and in less time than the previous assessment (gill net=3, trap nets=25). Lengths from the trap net sample ranged from 7.9 to 16.1 inches with an average length of 12.9 inches. Golden shiner were the most abundant species sampled in trap nets (n=89) and the gill net (n=27). A combined length frequency indicated a wide distribution of sizes, 3.2 to 6.8 inches. Near shore sampling included setting four minnow traps. A total of 14 brook stickleback, 176 fathead minnow, seven golden shiner, and 149 northern redbelly dace were sampled.
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. 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.