Spirit Lake (Aitkin County)
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01017800
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Spirit Lake (Aitkin County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (5,875 fish).
- Spirit Lake (Aitkin County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,061,520 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 49 ft, mean depth 15 ft; surface area 523 acres, 260 littoral acres, 5.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Bennettville; DNR lake number (DOW) 01017800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,875 | 195.8 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | yearlings | 1,872 | 104.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,551 | 90.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,275 | 194.8 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.3 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,947 | 375.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.3 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2025
A temperature-dissolved oxygen (TDO) profile was collected on 8/5/2025, to measure the amount of thermal habitat available for Tullibee. The TDO3 (temperature at 3 mg/l dissolved oxygen) was determined to be 20.7 degrees C. Limited oxy-thermal habitat was available throughout the water column with adequate conditions occurring from the surface to a depth of 19 feet. Comparing profiles collected from 2011-2025, the best conditions for Tullibee occurred in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025, although these conditions were still only marginal compared to other lakes in the area that are monitored. Because the Aitkin management area is located near the southern edge of Minnesota's Tullibee range, TDO profiles should continue to be collected to monitor the availability of cold-water habitat.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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