Minerva Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 15007900
DNR records show 12 stocking entries at Minerva Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (49 fish).
- Minerva Lake has 12 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2024): walleye (10), black crappie (1), bluegill sunfish (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 120,472 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 16 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 230 acres, 218 littoral acres, 2.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Clearwater County, nearest town Alida; DNR lake number (DOW) 15007900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/17/1966 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 49 | 15.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,410 | 250.0 |
| 2023 | Black Crappie | adults | 127 | 32.9 |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 105 | 26.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 101,000 | 0.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,707 | 257.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 126 | 84.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,240 | 220.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 7,975 | 220.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 600 | 30.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 93 | 31.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,272 | 204.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | SOUTH EAST CORNER OF LAKE OFF OF COUNTY ROAD 105 APPROX. 8 UNIT PARKING. |
DNR fish survey, 2016
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 54.67 | 328 | 0.22 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 22.50 | 135 | 0.44 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 13.00 | 78 | 0.85 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.83 | 65 | 2.76 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 9.17 | 55 | 0.26 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 4.67 | 28 | 0.26 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 26 | 4.12 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 13 | 0.70 |
| Largemouth bass | Special electrofishing | 33.02 | 50 | 2.25 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 23.00 | 207 | 0.33 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 17.56 | 158 | 0.33 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 6.44 | 58 | 0.22 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.16 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.29 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 2.49 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.85 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 2.19 |
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.
Lake Minerva is a 230-acre lake with a maximum depth of 16 feet located 12 miles south of Bagley in Clearwater County. There is a DNR public water access located on the southeast shore of the lake with an earthen ramp and parking for about 8 trucks/trailers. Lake Minerva is managed for Walleye, Black Crappie, and Bluegill. Statewide fishing regulations apply to all species. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota lakes based on similarities in lake basin (depth, size) water chemistry (alkalinity, water clarity) and geographic location. Lake class can affect the type of fish community present in the lake. Lake Minerva is in lake class 39. The following discussion makes comparisons between Lake Minerva and other class 39 lakes in the state. Other Bemidji area lakes in this class include Pine Lake, Rogstad Lake, and Lake Puposky. A commonality between these class 39 lakes is they have all experienced winterkill periodically in their histories. Lake Minerva had a history of frequent winterkill events when it had direct connection and flow through from Upper Rice Lake. Water from shallow Upper Rice increased the oxygen depletion rate in Minerva resulting in winterkill in both basins. Since the Upper Rice outlet was diverted for rice and waterfowl management Lake Minerva's fish community has improved and diversified. The 2016 Walleye catch rate was 4.33/gill net. Walleye had a good average size of 21.75 inches and 4.12 lbs/fish. The 2016 Northern Pike catch rate was 10.83/gill net. Pike also had a good average size of 23.16 inches in length and 2.76 lbs/fish. The largest Northern Pike captured in the 2016 assessment measured 32.09 inches in length. Crappie, Bluegill, and Bass, all species that are sensitive to winterkill. Since reintroduction these species have now established very good fisheries. The Black Crappie catch rate of 17.56/trap net was above the normal range found in similar lakes (0.80/trap net- 6.50/trap net). Black Crappie captured had an average size of 8.38 inches in length and 0.33 lbs/fish. The 2016 Bluegill catch rate was 23/trap net. Bluegill captured had an average size of 7.16 inches in length and 0.33 lbs/fish, with good numbers of quality-size fish present. An electrofishing assessment targeting Largemouth Bass was conducted as part of the 2016 assessment of Lake Minerva. The catch rate of 33.02 bass/hour indicates a healthy bass population. Largemouth Bass up to 19.29 inches in length were captured, with a good average size of 15.75 inches in length. Other species of fish captured in the 2016…
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.
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.