Portage Lake (Cook County)
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16032700
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Portage Lake (Cook County) since 2017, most recently splake fingerlings in 2023 (8,000 fish).
- Portage Lake (Cook County) has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2023): splake (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is splake: 32,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 55 ft, mean depth 18 ft; surface area 128 acres, 77 littoral acres, 6.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: green sunfish, splake, white sucker.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16032700.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Splake | fingerlings | 8,000 | 318.7 |
| 2021 | Splake | fingerlings | 8,000 | 205.7 |
| 2019 | Splake | fingerlings | 8,000 | 284.7 |
| 2017 | Splake | fingerlings | 8,000 | 392.2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PO | USF | |
| CA | USF |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 13.33 | 40 | 0.55 |
| Splake | Standard gill nets | 6.33 | 19 | 0.84 |
| Green sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.16 |
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.
Portage Lake is a designated stream trout lake that has been managed for Splake since 1982. The lake is located near the mid-Gunflint Trail area, about 35 miles from the City of Grand Marais. The most direct public access to the lake is from a 0.10-mile portage trail from the east end of Iron Lake which connects with the northern arm of Portage Lake. The 2022 standard lake survey was the last of three scheduled in the current (2009) lake management plan to evaluate a shift to alternate-year Splake stocking that began in 2011. Goals for the population under the new stocking regime are to maintain a minimum Splake gill net catch of 10.0 fish/set, including the presence of two catchable-sized (over 10 inch) year classes in each survey. This was the second survey to sample a Splake population supported only by alternate-year stocking. Management goals for Splake were not met in this survey. Although the gill net catch fell below the abundance goal, it remained similar to past Splake catch rates observed when the lake was stocked on an annual basis. The 2022 sample was dominated by three-year-old Splake which averaged about 14 inches at the time of capture. Growth rates of age-3 fish were considered average for the area; the mean length at the end of their third year was 12.90 inches, compared to an area mean 12.6 inches at that age. The catch of age-1 Splake from the 2021 stocking was low; however, those fish averaged seven inches in length when sampled and may not have been fully susceptible to survey nets at that time. Survival of Splake beyond age-4 has appeared low in Portage Lake, and none of the Splake stocked in 2017 (age-5 in 2022) were captured in this survey. White Sucker and Green Sunfish are the primary undesirable fish species (for stream trout management) established in Portage Lake. Both species can compete with Splake for invertebrate forage, although Splake have been known to feed on small Green Sunfish. White Sucker have been abundant in most surveys of Portage Lake and the 2022 gill net catch suggested a similarly abundant population remained present. Green Sunfish abundance has appeared low in most gill net surveys of the lake, and only one fish was sampled in 2022.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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