Shoofly Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38042200

DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Shoofly Lake since 2016, most recently brook trout fingerlings in 2025 (500 fish).

• Shoofly Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): brook trout (9).
• The most-stocked species by count is brook trout: 4,300 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 25 ft, mean depth 12 ft; surface area 10 acres, 6 littoral acres, 0.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.7 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: October 13, 2021 (standard survey).
• Lake County, nearest town Isabella; DNR lake number (DOW) 38042200.

Stocking history

⁸ fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2021

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.

Shoofly Lake is a designated trout lake located about three miles northeast of Isabella that is 10 acres in size with a maximum depth of 25 feet. Access to the lake is gained from an unmarked and rough 0.7 mile road north from the Wanless Road (Forest Service 172) that ends with a small parking area for a single vehicle. There are two trails that lead to the lake; a shorter and more direct route across a bog, or a longer trail that follows an upland route that leads to a user created campsite on the lake. The lake is managed for Brook Trout and the current plan calls for 500 fingerling fish to be stocked annually in the fall. The catch from the 2021 survey revealed a healthy trout population with good opportunities for anglers based on the number and size of fish captured. Brook Trout ranged in size from 7.3 to 14.7 inches with 37% greater than 12 inches long at the time of the survey. Fish from each of the previous three stocking events were identified in the catch indicating good survival from year to year. Creel data collected as part of the fisheries assessment found a small amount of use by anglers in summer and winter. Results of the 2021 survey confirm that Shoofly Lake continues to provide a fishable Brook Trout population with good size structure. The lake will continue to be managed as a put-grow-take fishery through annual stocking into the foreseeable future.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, October 13, 2021.

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