Pauline Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69058800
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Pauline Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (50,000 fish).
- Pauline Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 250,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 63 acres, 25 littoral acres, 1.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Buyck; DNR lake number (DOW) 69058800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.4 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.6 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.5 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| PO | USF | Approximately 50 rod portage from Nigh Lake at the east end of lake. |
| PO | USF | Northwest end of lake. Approximately 0.1 mile portage from Co. Rd. # 116 (Echo Trail). - Pullover along Echo Trail big enough for 2-3 cars. Steep hill down to lake. Poor landing. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 6.25 | 25 | 1.80 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 12 | 2.30 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 5 | 3.04 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 4 | 0.15 |
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.
Pauline Lake is a 63 acre lake located 20 miles north of Tower. The access is via a 0.1 mile portage from USFS Road 116 (Echo Trail). This lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet and brown bog-stained water. On July 8, 2021 Pauline Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 79 F and a bottom temperature of 48 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 11.5 feet where the temperature was 58 degrees. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledge rock with muck in some of the bays. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 11.5 fish/net which was slightly below average for Pauline Lake. Yield was 22.1 lbs/net which was above average for the lake. Fish species sampled were white sucker, northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch. Five walleye were sampled for a catch rate of 1.3 fish/net, which was below average compared to other similar lakes, but comparable to past catches on Pauline Lake. Lengths ranged from 11 to nearly 30 inches with an average of 18 inches. Ages ranged from 3 to 17 years with four year classes represented. The northern pike gillnet catch was 3.0 fish/net which was better than average compared to other similar lakes, and right at the average of past surveys on Pauline Lake. Lengths ranged from 12 to just over 34 inches with an average of 20 inches. The average length was similar to past surveys, however the largest fish sampled was the new record for the lake. Four yellow perch were sampled for a catch rate of 1.0 fish/net which was below average compared to other similar lakes and slightly below average for Pauline Lake. Sizes were small with a range of 6 to 8 inches.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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