Ripple Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01014600

DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Ripple Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (300,000 fish).

• Ripple Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (10).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 543,461 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 39 ft; surface area 630 acres, 295 littoral acres, 8.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.1 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, and 5 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: August 14, 2023 (targeted survey).
• Aitkin County, nearest town Aitkin; DNR lake number (DOW) 01014600.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/29/1966 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2023

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 Ripple Lake was conducted on August 15, 2023 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 fourteen sampling stations, but four stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample seven stations, a 15-foot seine was used at three stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at 4 stations. Nearshore sampling captured 16 species of fish including 4 species that were intolerant of disturbance (ie., Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass) and one that was tolerant of disturbance (ie., Black Bullhead). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a July 2023 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., Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., 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 Ripple Lake is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life used determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to Mississippi River (Brainerd) Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, August 14, 2023.

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