Spirit Lake (Wadena County)
Wadena County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 80003900
Spirit Lake (Wadena County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Spirit Lake (Wadena County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 45 ft; surface area 114 acres, 65 littoral acres, 1.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Wadena County, nearest town Menahga; DNR lake number (DOW) 80003900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | city |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 106.87 | 102 | 1.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 21.17 | 127 | 1.33 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 11 | 0.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 11 | 0.46 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.20 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 1.34 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.07 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 19.11 | 172 | 0.22 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 4.33 | 39 | 0.14 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.29 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.58 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 1.08 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.10 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.21 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.21 |
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.
Spirit Lake is located in Menahga in northern Wadena County. Spirit has a surface area of 114 acres and a maximum depth of 45 feet. A city owned public access is located on the northeast shore of the lake off 1st Street. Spirit provides angling opportunities for Largemouth Bass, panfish and Northern Pike. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Spirit is in class 29. Class 29 lakes generally have high littoral area and are regularly shaped. Other class 29 lakes in the work area include: Little Island, Mow, Mud, Palmer, and Tenth Crow Wing. Largemouth Bass were sampled in very high numbers again in 2022. They had an average length of 12.1 inches, with the longest sampled at 17.6 inches. Spirit provides good fishing for Bluegill and Pumpkinseed with fish anglers would target ranging from 6 - 8.5 inches. Crappies were sampled in average numbers compared to similar lakes, but higher than recent surveys for this lake. The average size of crappie was 7.4 inches with the largest at 10.8 inches. Yellow Perch were sampled in low numbers and too small for anglers to target. Northern Pike abundance was high and in line with the recent surveys. Anglers will find most northerns from 16 - 21 inches in length, with fish up to 31 inches sampled. Northern Pike sampled had an average length of 18.9 inches and weighed 1.3 pounds. Curley Leaf Pondweed, an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) has been identified in Spirit Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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