Miner's Pit

St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69129300

DNR records show 29 stocking entries at Miner's Pit since 2016, most recently brook trout yearlings in 2025 (1,552 fish).

• Miner's Pit has 29 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (16), brown trout (8), brook trout (4), lake trout (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 45,264 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 140 ft; surface area 141 acres, 25 littoral acres, 3.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 20.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, brown trout, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, rock bass, smallmouth bass, white sucker.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: May 20, 2024 (standard survey).
• St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69129300.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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.

Miner's Pit is a 141-acre designated stream trout lake located in Ely. The lake was formed following the closure of the Pioneer mine and subsequent flooding of the various mine shafts and pits. An underground water connection to Shagawa stabilizes water levels. It stands alone in the Tower area as an anomaly of water chemistry. Coldwater habitat suitable for trout is present and the lake also supports a robust warm water fish community. Flooded timber is abundant in the shallower east bay and provides ample habitat for fish. The combination of wall-like shorelines and submerged snagging hazards make it difficult to sample effectively. Trout abundance is much higher than what our trap nets may suggest. Rainbow trout catch per unit effort (0.1 lb/net) was lower than in recent surveys. All three fish were recently stocked yearlings introduced two weeks prior to the survey and averaged 10 inches in length. Brown trout abundance (0.5 lb/net) was also lower than in recent surveys. Average size was good at 18.0 inches with a maximum of 19 inches. Bluegill numbers (5.7/net) were noticeably lower than the last two surveys and below the lake average. Average length was 6.3 inches which is typical for Miner's. The largest bluegill was 8.5 inches, and also the only fish greater than eight inches captured in this survey. Catches of green and hybrid sunfish, as well as rock bass, were also lower than normal. Largemouth bass numbers (3.2/net) were lower than usual. Average size was small at 10 inches, with a maximum of almost 15 inches. Smallmouth bass catch per unit effort (0.2/net) was typical and average size was also small at 10.5 inches. The population of both species is likely higher than trap nets suggest. Targeted bass sampling has not been completed on Miner's Pit.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, May 20, 2024.

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