Pike Lake (Cook County)
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16025200
Pike Lake (Cook County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Pike Lake (Cook County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 45 ft; surface area 814 acres, 218 littoral acres, 8.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, 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) 16025200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1940 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | county | Gravel launch area on the east end of the lake off the end of County Road 45. No turn-around space- road-side parking for two vehicles. Poor- shallow launch area. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 1/4-in trap nets | 289.00 | 2,890 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 1/4-in trap nets | 13.00 | 130 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | 1/4-in trap nets | 0.20 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 1/4-in trap nets | 0.10 | 1 | 0.48 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 9.67 | 87 | 0.25 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.78 | 70 | 1.47 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.44 | 22 | 3.14 |
| Lake whitefish | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 2.57 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.78 | 16 | 2.07 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 5.53 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.50 | 15 | 0.62 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.60 | 6 | 1.49 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.30 | 3 | 0.27 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.10 | 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.
Pike Lake is an 814-acre lake located 9 miles west of Grand Marais. Public access is through a boat landing on the south side of the lake. It lies within the Lake Superior North watershed, draining to Lake Superior via Murmur Creek, Caribou Creek, and the Poplar River. Many different fish species have been historically stocked (bass, walleye, trout, sunfish) into Pike Lake with rainbow trout being the last stocked in 1978. Walleye and smallmouth bass are the primary and secondary management species in the lake. The 2023 survey was conducted to monitor the fish community and evaluate abundance and size goals set for the walleye and smallmouth bass populations. Walleye catch rates did not change from the previous survey in 2019 and were slightly down from surveys historically. However, walleye catch rates are considerably higher when compared to other walleye lakes in the area. Walleye ranged from 7 to 26 inches, while the average length and weight of walleye sampled in gill nets was just under 16 inches and about 1.5 lbs, both of which were considered above average compared to historical results for the lake. All walleye were reproduced naturally. Smallmouth bass catch rates were down slightly from the last two surveys in 2015 and 2019, but within the normal range for the lake. Smallmouth bass ranged from 6 to 18 inches in length and were good sized. Of the "catchable" sized bass (eight inches or longer) sampled in 2023, about 88% were longer than twelve inches, and about 47% were 16 inches or longer. Smallmouth bass easily exceeded the size goal set for Pike Lake with excellent size structure that anglers will enjoy. Since first being found in 1983 northern pike catch rates have been low to moderate. The 2023 survey was towards the upper end of the normal range for the lake and slightly higher compared to other lakes in the area. Northern pike found in the survey were large and ranged between 21 to 36 inches with many larger than 30 inches. Pike Lake continues to support somewhat low densities of large sized northern pike with an average size greater than five lbs. Yellow perch populations had been declining from 2006 to 2019 but bounced back into the normal range in 2023. Yellow perch ranged from 5 to 13 inches in size with a decent proportion of fish over nine inches. High numbers of young of year yellow perch in quarter-inch trap nets indicate good recruitment in 2023. Yellow perch provide an excellent forage base for walleye and good numbers of larger yellow perch are desirable for anglers. Lake whitefish catch rates were average for Pike Lake and…
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; 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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