Section Twelve Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38071400
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Section Twelve Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (495 fish).
- Section Twelve Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,445 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 52 ft; surface area 49 acres, 11 littoral acres, 1.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, burbot, cisco species, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 38071400.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 495 | 33.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 924 | 33.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 741 | 32.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 492 | 32.8 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 793 | 31.7 |
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 | Access is approx. 15 miles east of Ely on Co. Rd. # 18 (Fernberg Rd.). Then turn right on Old Co. Rd. # 18 and go 0.25 mile to the lake. - Only suitable for small boats or canoes. You have to back the trailer off the edge of the road to unload and winch the boat back on the trailer to load. Only parking is on edge of road. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 2.25 | 9 | 1.54 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 6 | 0.19 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 5 | 1.86 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 3 | 1.91 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 3 | 0.16 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 2 | 5.51 |
| Burbot | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 1.17 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 18 | 0.10 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.10 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.31 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 2.03 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 2.13 |
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.
Section Twelve is a 49-acre lake located 15 miles east of Ely off the Fernberg Road. It has clear water, rocky shores interspersed with sand and muck, and a maximum depth of 52 feet. Aquatic vegetation is limited. Secchi visibility at the time of the survey was 14 feet. The lake was stratified during a midsummer cold-water habitat survey. A thermocline formed at 28 feet and excellent cisco habitat was present. The lake is largely undeveloped with the exception of a church-owned tent camp on the North shore. A panorama of cedar and pine gives it a classic Canadian Shield feel. Access is off the Old Fernberg Road but no improved landing exists. With finesse a small boat can be trailered in, but parking space is limited. Catches in both gears were lower than normal. Gill net yield was 10.7 lb/net compared to the average of 21.9 lb/net and consisted predominantly of walleye, cisco, and rock bass. Low numbers of northern pike, yellow perch, and white sucker were also present. A single burbot was captured and is the first time the species has been reported from Section Twelve. Trap net yield (1.1 lb/net) was low compared to the lake average. Trap net catch was dominated by bluegill and rock bass. A few smallmouth bass, two northern pike, and a walleye were also sampled. Overall, catches of most species were noticeably below average. Walleye abundance (1.3/net) lower than usual. However, average length was high at 17.3 inches. Lengths ranged from 14 to 21 inches. Walleye fingerlings are stocked every other year, and most of the walleyes were from the 2020 stocked year class. Northern pike have only recently reappeared in Section 12 and are present in low abundance. Gill nets captured two, at 27 and 31 inches, and trap nets sampled another two, both 21 inches in length. Cisco numbers (2.3/net) were a bit below normal. Mean length (16.0 inches) was once again high. Cisco lengths ranged from 14 to 17 inches. Bluegill numbers (0.7/trap net) were unusually low. Trap net catches the past three decades of surveys ranged from 5.3/net to 20.3/net, making the apparently sudden decline of bluegill numbers surprising. Bluegill lengths were small, ranging from 3.5 to 6.5 inches, with an average of 5 inches typical for Section 12. Smallmouth bass were present (0.3/net) in trap nets in their lowest numbers to date. Lengths were typically modest, ranging from seven to ten inches with an average of eight inches. Smallmouth exceeding twelve inches are uncommon in Section 12, and anglers seeking bass may want to look elsewhere.
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.