Rat Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01007700
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Rat Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (195,000 fish).
- Rat Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 975,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 21 ft; surface area 431 acres, 389 littoral acres, 4.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Palisade; DNR lake number (DOW) 01007700.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 195,000 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 195,000 | 1.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 195,000 | 1.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 195,000 | 1.7 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 195,000 | 1.7 |
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 | TOW | - The township owned access; with a dirt ramp; is located on the south end of the lake at the intersection of SH 232 and T545. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 63.50 | 254 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 5.25 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 3.75 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 0.75 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 43.27 | 50 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 16.44 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 6.92 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 4.33 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | Backpack electrofishing | 1.73 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 15.50 | 31 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 3.50 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 15-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 3 | 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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Rat Lake was conducted on July 8, 2022 by Aitkin Area Fisheries Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations, but three stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, a 15-foot seine was used at two stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at four stations. Nearshore sampling captured 8 species of fish. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2022 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Iowa Darter and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Black Bullhead). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey indicates the fish community of Rat Lake is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River-Grand Rapids Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.