Rainy Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69069400
Rainy Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Rainy Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 161 ft, mean depth 32 ft; surface area 210,200 acres, 18,949 littoral acres, 2176.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, burbot, cisco species, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, longnose sucker, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rainbow smelt, redhorse, rock bass, and 5 more.
- 9 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town International Falls; DNR lake number (DOW) 69069400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/14/1970 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Frank Bohman ~Crystal Beach~ ON SAND BAY |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Tilson Bay |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | |
| concrete ramp | National Park Service | Voyageurs National Park |
| earthen ramp | National Park Service | portage around Kettle Falls |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - Located in the town of Rainer; parking about a block away |
| concrete ramp | PRI | Spring Lodge |
| concrete ramp | PRI | Sportsmans Dock |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 91.34 | 5,572 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Survey seining | 24.21 | 1,477 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Survey seining | 12.61 | 769 | 0.00 |
| Emerald shiner | Survey seining | 4.52 | 276 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Survey seining | 3.92 | 239 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Survey seining | 2.07 | 126 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Survey seining | 1.33 | 81 | 0.00 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Survey seining | 0.70 | 43 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 29.92 | 88 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 8.10 | 162 | 0.84 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 5.20 | 104 | 0.25 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 2.30 | 46 | 3.09 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 2.25 | 45 | 3.27 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.05 | 21 | 2.26 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 15 | 0.30 |
| RHS | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 10 | 2.86 |
| Lake whitefish | Standard trap nets | 0.20 | 4 | 4.04 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 7.33 | 176 | 0.29 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.17 | 172 | 1.15 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Standard gill nets | 2.88 | 69 | 1.03 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.71 | 65 | 4.72 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.08 | 50 | 0.90 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.04 | 49 | 2.47 |
| Sauger | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 40 | 0.29 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.62 | 39 | 0.31 |
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.
Rainy Lake is part of the statewide Large Lake Program, an intensive fisheries management program on the 10 largest Walleye lakes in Minnesota. The Large Lake Program includes annual standard fish assessments, annual water quality monitoring, and regularly scheduled creel surveys. A variety of sampling gear is used during standard assessments to collect the various fish species and life stages. These gear types include gill nets, trap nets, beach seines, and an electrofishing boat on Rainy Lake. Sampling for each gear type is conducted at the same time and place each year to determine population trends for the major species. Data is also collected on length, weight, age, and growth for each of the major species. Excellent Walleye angling opportunities continue to exist on Rainy Lake. The 2025 Walleye gill net catch rate was 7.2 fish per net, which is greater than the historic average of 6.1 fish per net for Rainy Lake. Walleye catch rates have increased following historic overfishing prior to the 1990s. Rainy Lake produced a good hatch of Walleyes in 2021 and most of these age-4 Walleyes in the 2025 survey were in the 12 to 14-inch length groups but overall ranged from 9.2 to 20.4 inches long. The 2025 survey also caught a good number of age-3 Walleyes from the 2022 year-class. Most fish from this year-class were in the nine- to 11-inch length groups but ranged in length from 8.8 to 17.7 inches long. Overall, the 2025 survey caught above average numbers of seven to 10-inch and 12 to 14-inch Walleyes. Rainy Lake also produces large Walleyes over 25 inches for those interested in catching memorable and trophy-sized Walleyes. The good size distribution we are currently seeing in Rainy Lake Walleyes is the result of consistent recruitment in recent years. Overall, gill netted Walleyes ranged in length from 6.1 to 26.8 inches and had an average length of 13.4 inches. There is a special regulation for Walleye on Rainy Lake; an 18-26-inch protected slot, with one fish allowed over 26 inches, and a four-fish bag limit. The goal of the regulation is to keep harvest at a safe level and maintain adequate spawning stock. Sauger numbers are low, growth is slow, and they generally do not reach a large size in Rainy Lake. The 2025 overall gill net catch rate was 1.7 Sauger per net. Lengths ranged from 7.2 to 14.4 inches and averaged 10.1 inches. Eighty percent of Saugers caught in gill nets were less than 11 inches long. Occasionally larger, harvestable-size Sauger are encountered in and around Black Bay and Sand Bay. While anglers can occasionally catch larger…
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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