Salo Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69003600
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Salo Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2023 (2,861 fish).
- Salo Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2023): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 13,116 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 20 ft; surface area 141 acres, 127 littoral acres, 2.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Two Harbors; DNR lake number (DOW) 69003600.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,861 | 124.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,308 | 126.7 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,039 | 126.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,908 | 127.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | USF | Picnic ground and boat landing on west side of the lake |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 10.22 | 92 | 0.39 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 7.11 | 64 | 0.19 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 2.72 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.06 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 3.33 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.04 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.56 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 5.50 | 33 | 0.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 27 | 3.04 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 14 | 1.60 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 1.19 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 5 | 0.08 |
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.
Salo is a 141-acre lake with 127 (90%) acres of littoral area and a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake is located 5 miles north of Rollins, Minnesota off Highway #44 and has a U.S. Forest Service administered concrete back-in access. Salo was last surveyed in 2014. Salo was surveyed during the summer of 2020 to update information about fish populations and evaluate the success of the Walleye stocking program. Salo Lake has been actively managed for Walleye by stocking fingerlings every other year since 1990. Walleye abundance of 1.2 per gillnet lift was up from 2014 (0.5) but still slightly below average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Walleye average length was 16.7 inches. The ages of 91% of the Walleye captured corresponded to stocked year-classes, suggesting limited natural reproduction. Black Crappie abundance of 10.2 per trapnet lift was up from 2014 (4.4) and above average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Black Crappie average length was 8.9 inches. The proportion of adult Black Crappie captured that exceeded quality size (greater than 8 inches) was 88%, while the proportion that exceeded preferred size (greater than 10 inches) was 13%. All year-classes from 2012 to 2019 were represented with back to back strong year-classes present. Bluegill abundance of 7.1 per trapnet lift was average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Bluegill average length was 6.1 inches, but only 5% of the catch exceeded preferred size (greater than 8 inches). Salo Lake also offers quality angling opportunities for Northern Pike. Northern Pike abundance of 4.5 per gillnet lift was average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Average length was large at 23.6 inches. The proportion of adult Northern Pike captured that exceeded preferred size (greater than 28 inches) was 31%, while the proportion captured that exceeded memorable size (greater than 34 inches) was 8%. Spring targeted bass sampling was suspended during 2020 due to the pandemic. However, both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass are present in Salo and previous investigations have shown quality fisheries exist.
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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