Sunset Lake (Aitkin County)
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01020800
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Sunset Lake (Aitkin County) since 2024, most recently walleye adults in 2024 (1,800 fish).
- Sunset Lake (Aitkin County) has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2024-2024): walleye (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,800 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 43 ft; surface area 221 acres, 210 littoral acres, 4.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Aitkin; DNR lake number (DOW) 01020800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye1 | adults | 1,800 | 180.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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.
DNR fish survey, 2011
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 101.40 | 111 | 0.92 |
| Yellow perch | Standard electrofishing | 1.83 | 2 | 0.22 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 14.40 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 12.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 4.80 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 4.80 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 2.40 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 14.00 | 112 | 0.19 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 4.88 | 39 | 0.45 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.62 | 21 | 0.33 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.62 | 13 | 0.50 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.62 | 13 | 0.25 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 6 | 0.94 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 6 | 0.78 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 4 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 7.17 | 43 | 0.38 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 36 | 0.89 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.67 | 34 | 0.85 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.17 | 25 | 0.27 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 20 | 0.14 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 10 | 0.23 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.18 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.11 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 4.20 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 2.20 | 11 | 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.
Sunset Lake is a 253 acre lake located on the Aitkin/Crow Wing County line 8 miles southwest of the city of Aitkin. Although there is no designated public access on Sunset Lake, some anglers have accessed the water via the Crow Wing County Road 133 crossing. Eighty-three percent of the lake's surface area is made up of water 15 feet deep or less. Given the shallow depths and good fertility, Sunset Lake can experience partial winterkills, although no significant fish kills have been documented in recent decades. The lake's immediate shoreline is primarily surrounded by mixed hardwood forest covering gently rolling hills, interspersed with residential homes or seasonal cabins. The majority of the residential development is along the east, southeast, and northwest shores. In addition, pasture land and crop land exist along the west shore while marshland is limited to the north and south ends of the lake and small scattered areas along the west shore. A full lake survey was conducted in 2011 to assess the current status of the fish population. The northern pike catch, 5.6/gill net, was within the normal range for this type of lake. Average weight was below normal at less than 1 pound. Combining all sampling gear, sizes ranged from 9.8 to 27.9 inches and averaged 15.5 inches. Only 5% of all pike sampled were larger than 24 inches indicating a poor size structure. Anglers are encouraged to release northern pike 24 inches and larger to improve the size structure of the population. Largemouth bass abundance has been increasing tremendously and was well above normal for this type of lake. The bulk of the population is comprised of individuals 12 inches and smaller. A once well balanced largemouth size structure appears to be declining as indicated by data collected in 2011. Growth was slow, with fish needing 6 years to reach 10" in 2010 compared to 4 years in 2001. Largemouth bass lengths extended from 5.7 to 19.0 inches with a mean length of 11.6 inches. Panfish abundance was within normal ranges. Black crappie sizes ranged from 6.2 to 12.7 inches and averaged about 8 inches. The abundance of bluegill sunfish has fluctuated considerably in surveys dating back to 1970, and has decreased significantly since 2001, while remaining within normal ranges for this lake type. No bluegill longer than 8 inches were measured in 2011, and the average length was 6.2 inches. Other fish sampled in Sunset Lake included brown and yellow bullhead, bowfin, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, yellow perch, golden shiner and Johnny darter. Based on previous survey data, yellow…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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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