Three Island Lake (Beltrami County)
Beltrami County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 04013400
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Three Island Lake (Beltrami County) since 2019, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (313,000 fish).
- Three Island Lake (Beltrami County) has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2019-2025): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,265,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 729 acres, 635 littoral acres, 10.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, redhorse, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Beltrami County, nearest town Turtle River; DNR lake number (DOW) 04013400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 313,000 | 2.7 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 317,000 | 2.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 319,000 | 2.7 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 316,000 | 2.5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | STATE OWNED; T.148;R.32;S.18. N.E. CORNER OF LAKE; DIRT RAMP; APPROX. 5 UNIT PARKING. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.50 | 76 | 2.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 8.75 | 70 | 0.64 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 7.75 | 62 | 0.11 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 5.12 | 41 | 0.29 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 28 | 0.36 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.25 | 26 | 1.72 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.38 | 19 | 2.33 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.88 | 15 | 0.12 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 6.17 | 74 | 0.26 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 4.75 | 57 | 0.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 32 | 0.74 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 20 | 2.06 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.25 | 15 | 0.24 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 0.11 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.42 | 5 | 0.57 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 1.33 |
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.
Three Island Lake is a 729-acre lake located 14 miles northeast of Bemidji in Beltrami County. Three Island is a large, shallow lake basin with lots of aquatic vegetation. The maximum depth is 25 feet; however, much of the lake is less than 9 feet deep. Ice travel is limited during winter months by areas of current that can cause unsafe ice conditions. The is a DNR public water access with an earthen ramp and parking for 6 trucks/trailers located in Three Island County Park off of County Road 23. Special regulations are in effect for sunfish (daily limit of 5 fish). The Northern Pike special regulation in effect since 2003 was under review in 2022 so be sure to check on the current regulation before keeping any pike. Statewide regulations apply to all other species. Three Island Lake may be overlooked by some anglers but does provide some notable fishing opportunities for the Bemidji Area. Three Island has excellent habitat for Bluegill, Black Crappie, Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass. Extensive weed lines and emergent vegetation like cattail, bulrush and lily pads provide plenty of fishing opportunities for these species. Anglers can expect to catch good numbers of Bluegill in the 8-inch size range with bigger fish in the mix as well. Black Crappie catch rates from surveys of Three Island Lake have always been low; however, the lake has been a consistent producer of Black Crappie over time. Although Largemouth Bass were not targeted in the 2021 survey, a quality population is known to exist in Three Island Lake. Fishing opportunities for topwater bass anglers abound. Walleye are present in Three Island Lake although not in the numbers found in many of the area's more consistent Walleye lakes. Walleye captured in the 2021 survey had a good average size of nearly 18 inches and nearly 2 lbs/fish. Northern Pike were abundant in the 2021 survey with fish up to nearly 33 inches in length captured. Pike can provide plenty of fishing action on days when other species refuse to cooperate. Other species of fish captured in this survey were Rock Bass, Pumpkinseed, Bowfin, hybrid sunfish, bullhead species, Tullibee (Cisco), Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker and Yellow Perch.
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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