Taylor Lake

Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01010900

DNR records show 44 stocking entries at Taylor Lake since 2016, most recently brook trout yearlings in 2025 (2,000 fish).

• Taylor Lake has 44 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (30), brook trout (14).
• The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 59,490 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 84 ft, mean depth 23 ft; surface area 55 acres, 18 littoral acres, 1.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.4 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout, rainbow trout, tullibee (cisco).
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: August 18, 2023 (standard survey).
• Aitkin County, nearest town Hill City; DNR lake number (DOW) 01010900.

Stocking history

⁸ fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2023

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.

Taylor Lake is a designated stream trout lake located in northern Aitkin County. It is a small, deep lake with clear water and provides a unique opportunity for the Aitkin area. Much of the shoreline is publicly owned, with a carry-in only public access located on the northeast corner of the lake. Taylor Lake was originally a bass-panfish lake that was intentionally converted to a stream trout lake in 1960. The initial trout stocking occurred in 1961, and consisted of Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout. From 1962 to 1984, Taylor Lake was managed solely for Rainbow Trout with annual stocking of fall fingerlings. Since 1985, Taylor Lake has also received an annual spring stocking of yearling Brook Trout, as well as the fall Rainbow Trout fingerlings. Angling pressure remains moderate on Taylor Lake, although has increased somewhat with the opening of winter fishing in 2009. Recently, management was modified slightly with the addition of stocking additional catchable size trout in late fall. While most of the fish are harvested in their first season, some fish survive to provide a trophy element to the fishery. Additionally, surplus adult fish of each species may also be stocked when available from the hatchery system. Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout cannot reproduce successfully in Taylor Lake and therefore it is managed as a put-grow-and-take fishery. Anglers who fish Taylor Lake are bound to the statewide stream trout seasons and limits and to limitations placed on designated stream trout lakes. Currently anglers may keep 5 trout combined, not more than 3 may be longer than 16 inches. Releasing larger trout will increase the chances for catching larger trout through recycling. The population assessment, conducted in 2023, revealed Brook Trout ranging in length from 8.1 to 13.9 inches, indicating some Brook Trout stocked in spring survive through the summer and occasionally multiple years. With a trap net catch rate of 4.3 per net (highest since 1989), Brook Trout densities appear to have increased from previous surveys. Rainbow Trout stocking has also proven to be successful in Taylor Lake. Rainbow Trout, sampled in 2023, ranged between 8.4 and 15 inches, with 25% of the sample larger than 12 inches in length. Rainbow Trout catch rates were consistent with the previous survey at about 5.6 per trap net and remained above the long-term average of 2.7 per trap net. The abundance and size structure of Taylor Lake trout are indications that both fall stocked fingerling rainbow and spring stocked yearling Brook Trout are surviving over the summer and contributing…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, August 18, 2023.

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