North Shady Lake
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16007600
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at North Shady Lake since 2017, most recently brook trout fingerlings in 2023 (2,835 fish).
- North Shady Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2023): brook trout (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is brook trout: 10,341 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 20 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 33 acres, 26 littoral acres, 1.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout, green sunfish, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16007600.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 2,835 | 67.7 |
| 2021 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 2,500 | 76.7 |
| 2019 | Brook Trout8 | fingerlings | 2,506 | 74.2 |
| 2017 | Brook Trout8 | fingerlings | 2,500 | 43.9 |
8 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PO | USF | |
| CA | USF |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden shiner | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 239.50 | 479 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 36.50 | 73 | 0.04 |
| Green sunfish | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 4.50 | 9 | 0.06 |
| Brook trout | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 1.00 | 2 | 0.03 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 71.00 | 142 | 0.15 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 12.00 | 24 | 0.09 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 1.79 |
| Brook trout | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 0.32 |
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.
North Shady Lake is a small, 33-acre lake with a maximum depth of 20 feet. It is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Grand Marais off Shoe Lake Road (FR 313). Access to the lake is moderate via a short portage from nearby Greenwood Lake or a 0.1-mile trail from FR 313. North Shady Lake has historically been managed for stream trout since the 1970s. Multiple lake rehabilitation attempts have been made over the years to remove unwanted species and continue stream trout management and has had varying success. In 2024, a standard survey was conducted using gillnets and mini-fyke nets to evaluate brook trout stocking efforts and assess the current yellow perch population within the lake. The 2024 survey was the second survey conducted on North Shady Lake since the lake rehabilitation effort in 2016. Brook trout catches were low (1.0 fish/net) and did not meet the management goal of 5.0 fish/net. Only four brook trout were caught during the survey and all fish were smaller than 12.0 inches. North Shady Lake is not known to produce good numbers of big brook trout, but the 2024 catch was poor compared to historical records. Temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles observed in 2021 and 2024 indicated habitat limitations for brook trout that likely resulted in poor growth and survival. This has been common in recent surveys and suggests concerns for future stream trout management. It is highly unlikely that another lake rehabilitation effort will prevent North Shady Lake from being taken over by yellow perch in future years. Therefore, management for stream trout in North Shady Lake is no longer advised. Yellow perch were not completely removed from the lake during the last rehabilitation effort and abundance has increased significantly. The yellow perch catch rates were extremely high in both gill nets and mini-fyke nets. Yellow perch lengths ranged from 4.3 to 13.1 inches and averaged 6.7 inches. Yellow perch size structure was good, with 27% of the fish larger than 8.0 inches and 15% greater than 10.0 inches. Anglers looking to target yellow perch in North Shady Lake should find good numbers of catchable fish with the opportunity to catch jumbo sized perch as well. Golden shiners, green sunfish, and white suckers are also present in the lake at the time of the survey. Minnesota Lakes within Cook County continue to be susceptible to aquatic invasive species introductions. Invasive species have the potential to significantly alter fish communities and overall lake health. Anglers should clean watercraft and fishing gear, drain all water, and dispose of…
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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