Portage Lake (Hubbard County)
Hubbard County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 29025000
DNR records show 15 stocking entries at Portage Lake (Hubbard County) since 2016, most recently black crappie fingerlings in 2024 (222 fish).
- Portage Lake (Hubbard County) has 15 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2024): walleye (12), black crappie (1), bluegill sunfish (1), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 430,414 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 17 ft, mean depth 10 ft; surface area 429 acres, 410 littoral acres, 5.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hubbard County, nearest town Park Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 29025000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/31/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Black Crappie | fingerlings | 222 | 14.8 |
| 2024 | Bluegill Sunfish | fingerlings | 135 | 6.8 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 150 | 76.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,501 | 243.0 |
| 2024 | Yellow Perch | fingerlings | 221 | 7.4 |
| 2022 | Walleye | adults | 1 | 1.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,476 | 109.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | yearlings | 635 | 97.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 113 | 60.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 62 | 41.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | adults | 381 | 103.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 413,440 | 3.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,016 | 221.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 119 | 34.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,520 | 376.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | county | County access with an earthen ramp located on the south shore of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 56.33 | 507 | 0.21 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 13.22 | 119 | 0.43 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 12.33 | 111 | 1.50 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 5.11 | 46 | 0.13 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.22 | 29 | 0.29 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.11 | 28 | 0.89 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.20 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.59 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 18.87 | 22 | 1.05 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 16.56 | 149 | 0.15 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 6.78 | 61 | 0.17 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 6.11 | 55 | 0.19 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 4.33 | 39 | 0.83 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 3.56 | 32 | 0.32 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.95 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.18 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.93 |
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 located three miles northwest of Park Rapids in west-central Hubbard County. Portage has a surface area of 429 acres and a maximum depth of 17 feet. A county owned public access is located on the south shore of the lake. Portage is a very popular lake for ice fishing, as it is one of the first lakes to freeze in the area. Due to the shallow depth and heavy aquatic vegetation growth, Portage Lake is subject to periodic winterkills. Portage provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Panfish, Largemouth Bass and Walleye. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Portage is in lake class 39, one of fifteen class 39 lakes in the Park Rapids management area. Class 39 lakes are generally shallow, with high littoral area and are regularly shaped. Other class 39 lakes in the work area include: First Crow Wing, Fourth Crow Wing, Ham, Hennepin, Loon, Minnie, Paine, Peysenski, Rice, Shallow, Upper Twin, Wolf, and Hungryman. Northern Pike abundance was down from recent surveys but is still considered high. Anglers will find the Northern Pike population spread out with most from 13 to 27 inches in length. Northern Pike sampled had an average length of 18.8 inches and weighed 1.5 pounds. Portage supports a fast-growing Black Crappie population and angling for them is popular year-round. Anglers will find most Black Crappie in the 8.5 - 10.5 inch size range, with fish up to 12.3 inches. Portage also provides good fishing for Bluegill and Pumpkinseed; with some nicer fish up to 8.5 inches sampled. Walleye were sampled in low numbers, and below previous recent surveys. Walleye sampled had an average length of 15.9 inches with fish measuring up to 20.6 inches. Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye were sampled in increasing numbers, but most were too small for anglers. Curly-leaf Pondweed is an aquatic invasive species (AIS) that has been identified in Portage. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.
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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