Pelican Lake (St. Louis County)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69084100
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Pelican Lake (St. Louis County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (3,000,000 fish).
- Pelican Lake (St. Louis County) has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 14,698,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 11,546 acres, 5,879 littoral acres, 55.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 5 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Orr; DNR lake number (DOW) 69084100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/22/1960 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 3,000,000 | 33.6 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 2,499,000 | 24.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 3,000,000 | 29.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 3,400,000 | 34.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 799,000 | 7.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 2,000,000 | 20.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | city | - Located on Orr Bay in the city of Orr. |
| gravel ramp | county | - Located on northwest shore of lake. |
| concrete ramp | county | - Located on southeast shore of lake. Very limited parking available. |
| gravel ramp | county | - Located on northeast shore of lake. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - Located off County Road 23 on south side of lake on east side of Saunders Bay. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 42.94 | 141 | 1.67 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 19.49 | 64 | 1.23 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 15.42 | 185 | 1.78 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 14.92 | 179 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 7.33 | 88 | 0.15 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 6.75 | 81 | 1.93 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 6.58 | 79 | 0.17 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.42 | 41 | 1.07 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.42 | 29 | 0.19 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 9 | 1.60 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.22 | 58 | 0.19 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 2.28 | 41 | 0.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 18 | 2.00 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 16 | 0.14 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 12 | 0.16 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 9 | 0.64 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 8 | 0.30 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.39 | 7 | 3.22 |
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.
Pelican is a 11,546-acre, class 7 lake located west of Highway 53 at Orr, MN. Slightly over half (54%) of the lake is littoral area. Centrarchids, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch dominate the sport-fish community. Special regulations protecting Northern Pike (24 to 38 inches) and Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass (14 to 20 inches) were enacted in the spring of 1998 for a period of 10 years. The regulations were implemented to address concerns about declining Northern Pike quality and to protect the high-quality bass fishery that was present. The Northern Pike regulation was modified in 2001; fish from 24 to 32 inches were protected. In 2008, the regulations were reviewed, and the decision was to continue for an additional 10-year trial period. The bass regulation remained the same and the Northern Pike regulation was modified to match similar lakes in Minnesota (24 to 36 inches protected). Currently, Northern Pike on Pelican are managed under the north-central zone state regulation. The statewide Northern Pike regulation for the north-central zone allows anglers harvest 10 Northern Pike with not more than 2 over 26 inches and all Northern Pike between 22-26 inches must be immediately released. The bass regulation remains the same at all 14" - 20" fish must be immediately released. Black Crappie catch rate was 3.2 fish per net, which was above the average for similar lakes. Catch rate was above the management goal of 2.6 fish per net for Pelican Lake. Length ranged from 4.1 to 10.6 inches and the average was 6.4 inches. Average weight was 0.2 pounds, which is less than the average for similar lakes. A total of seven year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 2-10 years. There are quite a few Black Crappie under 6", with a decent number between 7" - 11". Very few fish over 11" were present. Even though the average weight was less than average for similar lakes there are still good quality Black Crappie in Pelican Lake. There are good numbers of Black Crappie providing good fishing opportunities. Bluegill catch rate of 2.3 fish per net, which is less than average for similar lakes. Catch rate was below the management goal of 3.2 fish per net for Pelican Lake. Length ranged from 3.3 to 7.3 inches and the average were 4.7 inches. Mean weight was 0.1 pounds, which is less than average for similar lakes. A total of seven year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 2-12 years. There are quite a few Bluegill under 6", with a decent number between 6" - 8". Very few fish over 8" were present. Even though Bluegill numbers and the average weight was less than…
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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