North Star Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31065300
DNR records show 13 stocking entries at North Star Lake since 2016, most recently muskellunge yearlings in 2025 (20 fish).
- North Star Lake has 13 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (10), muskellunge (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 56,355 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 90 ft; surface area 832 acres, 314 littoral acres, 10.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Marcell; DNR lake number (DOW) 31065300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/26/1980 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Muskellunge | yearlings | 20 | 16.1 |
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,908 | 314.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,948 | 310.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,875 | 235.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,500 | 234.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,525 | 235.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,760 | 235.0 |
| 2019 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 104 | 20.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,460 | 233.1 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,660 | 266.0 |
| 2017 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 100 | 26.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,700 | 235.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,019 | 235.0 |
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 | USF | Access on SE shore of lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskellunge | Special electrofishing | 81.00 | 18 | 13.21 |
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 Star Lake was stocked with Leech Lake strain Muskie fingerlings in 1989, 1991 and 1994 to establish a population. Natural reproduction was documented in spring surveys, fall electrofishing, and angler reports of small fish by the mid-2000s. Spring, night electrofishing to capture juvenile Muskie was conducted annually from 2006 to 2013, though after a couple years, all Muskies encountered were measured and PIT tagged to improve our understanding of the population. Additional spring, night electrofishing surveys occurred in 2015, 2016, 2021-2023, and 2025. The surveys documented natural reproduction was excellent and the population was self-sustaining. Recent surveys have assisted in estimating population size, age and growth, maximum ages, adult mortality, and revealed variable growth among fish of the same sex and between sexes. Spring, night electrofishing was conducted on May 8th and 23rd of 2025. Surface water temperatures were 55 and 61 degrees F, and water clarity was good. Calm, sunny days following periods of stable weather is preferred for sampling because cold fronts are thought to push fish out of the shallows. A total of 18 fish were sampled over the two nights and 12 of the Muskie had been marked in prior years. Sampled Muskie ranged from 9.3 to 48.7 inches. All sampled fish were the result of natural reproduction since the last introductory stocking occurred in 1994 and no PIT tagged fingerlings stocked in 2014, 2015, 2017 or 2019 were observed. For many fish species, age and growth estimates are derived from bony structures that require sacrificing the fish but due to the low-density, long-lived nature of Muskie that is not desirable. Also, because North Star has good natural reproduction, stocking tagged fish with known ages is not a viable option. As a result, age and growth information for North Star is continuously being updated. In 2025, Muskie were estimated from age 1 to 24 based on scales, anal fin rays and time since tagging. The following examples exhibit the complexity of age and growth for North Star. A 40.3-inch male tagged in 2013 was estimated to be 12 years old, yet 12 years later was only 41.2 inches; demonstrating longevity and minimal growth for this male once it achieved 40 inches. In contrast, a 29.7-inch female tagged in 2022, estimated to be 4+ years old, was resampled in 2025 at 40.7 inches. The age-7 female demonstrated good growth. Interestingly, these two fish of similar length were estimated to be 17 years apart in age. Additional tagging of known age and/or confidently aged young fish should improve…
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.
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