Star Lake (Cook County)
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16040500
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Star Lake (Cook County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (300,000 fish).
- Star Lake (Cook County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,530,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 13 ft; surface area 107 acres, 107 littoral acres, 4.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cook County, nearest town Lutsen; DNR lake number (DOW) 16040500.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 300,000 | 3.4 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 300,000 | 2.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 300,000 | 2.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 330,000 | 3.1 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 300,000 | 3.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | USF |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 78.83 | 473 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 2.83 | 17 | 0.05 |
| White sucker | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 1.83 | 11 | 1.71 |
| Walleye | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.33 | 2 | 1.47 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 21.17 | 127 | 0.33 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 19.50 | 117 | 1.67 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 18 | 0.48 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.74 |
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.
Star lake is a 107-acre lake located 24 miles north of Lutsen. Public access is through a carry-in access located on the southwestern bay of the lake. Star Lake has been stocked with walleye fry regularly since 1985. Walleye abundance remains good in Star Lake and met the walleye management goal. Catch rates were down from the last survey in 2019 but still above average for the lake. Walleye were generally small and ranged from 7.8 to 16.5 inches with a mean length of 10.7 inches. Aging results found 3 year classes present (2021, 2020, and 2016) and were largely comprised of fish from years when fry were stocked. A lack of young of year (YOY) walleye in the mini fyke nets indicate poor natural recruitment in 2023. Growth rates were slightly below average. Results from this survey and 2019 data suggest that walleye fry stocking may be accounting for a majority of walleye present in Star Lake. Anglers should be able to find decent numbers of smaller sized walleye. The northern pike catch was the lowest recorded for Star Lake and below average for similar area lakes. This is a surprising as northern pike abundance in Star Lake had been above average in all previous years. Continued monitoring is needed to understand if this population is actually this low, or if other factors including harvest contributed to low catch rates. Yellow perch abundance was the highest ever recorded for Star Lake. This is above the 75% percentile for similar area lakes. Also high catch rates of young of year (YOY) perch were found in mini fyke net sets suggesting natural reproduction is quite strong. Yellow perch ranged from 2.2 to 11.6 inches with a mean length of 8.6 inches. Star Lake currently provides an exceptional opportunity for anglers interested in pursuing yellow perch. The 2023 white sucker catch was the highest recorded in Star Lake and well above average for similar area lakes. Although most of the white suckers in Star Lake were relatively large, the high density of white suckers offer plenty of good forage for northern pike. Another species captured with the 2023 mini fyke net sets was pumpkinseed sunfish. All individuals collected were less than 5 inches, so they currently do not support much of an angling opportunity. Cook County, Minnesota lakes continue to be susceptible to aquatic invasive species introductions. Invasive species have the potential to significantly alter fish communities and overall lake health. Anglers should clean watercraft and fishing gear, drain all water, and dispose of unused bait in the trash to prevent accidental introductions.
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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