Maple Lake (Itasca County)

Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31077300

DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Maple Lake (Itasca County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2019 (2,600 fish).

• Maple Lake (Itasca County) has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2016-2019): walleye (2).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,694 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 39 ft; surface area 255 acres, 76 littoral acres, 3.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, sunfish, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 21, 2021 (targeted survey).
• Itasca County, nearest town Marcell; DNR lake number (DOW) 31077300.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/6/1979 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2021

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 Maple Lake was conducted on July 21-22, 2021, 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 or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations, but three stations were 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 two stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at five stations. Nearshore sampling captured seven species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (Rock Bass) and no species that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an August 2020 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 (Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (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. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey indicate that the fish community in Maple Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Big Fork River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 21, 2021.

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