Pine Lake (Aitkin County)

Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01000100

DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Pine Lake (Aitkin County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (24,000 fish).

• Pine Lake (Aitkin County) has 11 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (11).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 96,920 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 28 ft, mean depth 20 ft; surface area 378 acres, 96 littoral acres, 5.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.3 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: October 28, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Aitkin County, nearest town Finlayson; DNR lake number (DOW) 01000100.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/19/1990 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. ² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking. ⁴ fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

Pine Lake (South Pine) is a 372-acre lake in southeastern Aitkin County located eleven miles northwest of Sandstone and is within the Kettle River Watershed. Due to its connectivity with Big Pine (58-0128-00) it is managed by Hinckley Area Fisheries. The lake has a maximum depth of 28 ft and 26% of the lake is 15 feet or less (96 littoral acres). It is a steep sided narrow basin that lies in a northeast/southwest direction. Walleye fry were stocked into Pine Lake on May 2, 2025. The stocking rate was 250 fry per littoral acre (250*96) which equals 24,000 fry. This stocking rate has occurred annually since 2023. A total of 100,000 fry were also stocked in Strawberry Creek on May 2, at multiple locations. Strawberry Creek is a large tributary of Pine Lake that is used as spawning and nursery area by walleyes. The fry were LMS (Lower Mississippi Strain), a local genetic strain sourced from the Knife River in April. Stocking the LMS strain fry was initiated in 2023. Walleye fingerlings are also stocked in even-numbered years at a rate of 1.3 pounds per littoral acre (125 pounds), which was initiated in 2018. Fingerlings have the MIS genetic strain (Mississippi River). Pine Lake was electrofished on the night of October 28, 2025 to evaluate the relative abundance of juvenile Walleye. Water temperatures were 52 °F. Nine 10-minute stations were sampled. These stations were established in the fall of 2025 to conform with standardized statewide protocols. A total of three age-0 walleyes were sampled. The 2025 age-0 walleye catch rate of 2/hour in 2025 was lower than the lake average of 6/hr. The average catch rate of LMS stocked years is 7/hour, while the average of non-LMS stocked years is 5/hour. We attempted to net all walleye observed. Twenty-seven age-1 and older Walleye were sampled at a rate of 18/hour. They ranged from 9.2 to 17.7 inches. Age-1 Walleye were most frequently sampled and ranged in length from 9.1 to 11.3 inches. The possibility of natural Walleye reproduction makes fry stockings contribution to the Walleye year classes unknown.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, October 28, 2025.

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