Steamboat Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11050400
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Steamboat Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (534,060 fish).
- Steamboat Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,227,265 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 93 ft; surface area 1,756 acres, 532 littoral acres, 8.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, and 3 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Cass Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 11050400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/10/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 534,060 | 4.6 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 270,135 | 2.3 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 533,250 | 4.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 267,525 | 2.3 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 533,875 | 4.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye3 | fingerlings | 17,400 | 600.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 533,965 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye3 | yearlings | 4,480 | 560.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 532,575 | 4.5 |
3 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
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 | NE corner of the lake. |
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | NE corner of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMS | 50-ft beach seine | 107.56 | 968 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 74.33 | 669 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 38.78 | 349 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 34.00 | 306 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 7.56 | 68 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 4.11 | 37 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | 50-ft beach seine | 3.22 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | 50-ft beach seine | 2.44 | 22 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 14.20 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 8.81 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 8.32 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 3.92 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 3.92 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 2.94 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 0.98 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 0.49 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 13.33 | 80 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 15-ft beach seine | 7.17 | 43 | 0.00 |
| PGS | 15-ft beach seine | 6.33 | 38 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 4.67 | 28 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 3.67 | 22 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 3.50 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 15-ft beach seine | 3.33 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | 15-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 8 | 0.00 |
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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Steamboat Lake, which is located partially within the Leech Lake Nation, was conducted on August 22 - September 3, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 18 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at six stations. Deep soft sediments, dense bulrush, and deep water prevented seining at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 22 species of fish including eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with gill net and trap net data from a July 2024 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Steamboat Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to a 2018 survey, which indicated that Steamboat Lake is fully supporting aquatic life and exceeding an exceptional use threshold for similar lakes. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Leech Lake River watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Steamboat Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
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; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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