Side Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69093300
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Side Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (1,309 fish).
- Side Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 10,938 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 32 ft; surface area 368 acres, 153 littoral acres, 4.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, golden redhorse, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, tullibee (cisco), and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Chisholm; DNR lake number (DOW) 69093300.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,309 | 77.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,617 | 77.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,155 | 77.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,695 | 77.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,162 | 153.0 |
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 | Minnesota DNR | A State owned public access is located within McCarthy Beach State Park. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 36.00 | 48 | 1.21 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 5.78 | 52 | 1.20 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.89 | 44 | 2.56 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 18 | 2.25 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 4.01 |
| Silver redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 3.08 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.48 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.06 |
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.
Side Lake is a moderately-sized (372 acre) lake located on the Sturgeon Chain of Lakes near Side Lake, Minnesota. Side Lake has relatively clear water, modest fertility and low alkalinity. These characteristics result in good water quality but limit fish production. The lake includes shoreline within McCarthy Beach State Park. While the shoreline is in a natural state within the State Park, most of the remaining shoreline is heavily developed. There is a concrete ramp public access located in the State Park. Side Lake has a long management history that includes multiple surveys and stockings. The fisheries lake management plan (LMP) was last revised in 2017. The lake is well-suited for Northern Pike and Bluegill, and these are considered the primary management species. Walleye are a secondary management species. A targeted survey using only gill nets was conducted in early July of 2023 to evaluate the 2016, 2019 and 2021 Walleye fingerling stocking. The surveys also collected updated information on other management species. This survey utilized nine gill nets set at standard locations around the lake. An additional component of the survey used night electrofishing in mid-June to target Largemouth Bass. Side Lake has typically produced a low-density Walleye population resulting from limited natural reproduction and stocking. The 2023 catch rate remained low despite recent fingerling stocking and was below the LMP goal. Given the limitations of water quality and fish community structure, it appears unlikely that stocking efforts will result in a sustainable increase in Walleye numbers. Side Lake typically produces Walleye of good size quality. In 2023, sampled Walleye ranged from 19.5 to 27.4 inches. The lack of smaller fish suggests poor juvenile survival in recent years. The five Walleye sampled represented five different year classes and ranged in age from 4 to 16. Lakes with similar habitats do not generally produce large numbers of Yellow Perch and perch catches from Side Lake have been low. No perch were sampled in 2023. Perch are an important prey species and are often associated with high quality pike and Walleye fisheries. A lack of Yellow Perch further suggests that Side Lake is not a good candidate for Walleye management. Side Lake has a history of supporting Tullibee (Cisco) and they were the most common fish captured in the gill nets in 2023. The 2023 catch was typical for lakes with similar habitat and average for Side Lake. Captured Tullibee ranged from 8.3 to 17.4 inches and averaged 14.1 inches. Fall sport netting of Tullibee is allowed…
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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