Nord Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01011700
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Nord Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (3,808 fish).
- Nord Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2017-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 41,388 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 29 ft; surface area 418 acres, 272 littoral acres, 5.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Aitkin; DNR lake number (DOW) 01011700.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,808 | 136.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,800 | 271.7 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,274 | 271.5 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,976 | 272.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,080 | 272.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,400 | 200.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,940 | 272.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,030 | 272.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,080 | 272.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - The designated public access is located on the southeast corner of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 63.20 | 316 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 29.60 | 148 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 24.80 | 124 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 22.40 | 112 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 6.00 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 4.20 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 0.60 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 26.40 | 44 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 19.80 | 33 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 4.80 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | Backpack electrofishing | 3.60 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 3.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 2.40 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 1.80 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 1.20 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 5.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
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 Nord Lake was conducted on June 24, 2025, by Aitkin area fisheries staff. Sampling sites (N=10) 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, 3 of which were sampled via boat due to deep water, soft sediment, or dense emergent vegetation. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 5 stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at one station. Four stations were not seined due to deep water, soft sediment, or dense emergent vegetation. Nearshore sampling captured 16 species of fish including two species that are intolerant of disturbance (e.g., Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (e.g., Black Bullhead, Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an 8/19/2024 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based score of biotic integrity (FIBI). The FIBI score uses fish community data to quantify 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., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish, Common Carp). 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 web site. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Nord Lake appears healthy as indicated by a FIBI score above the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings which indicated that Nord Lake is fully supporting aquatic life. These survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River-Brainerd watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Nord Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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.
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