Thrush Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16019100

DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Thrush Lake since 2016, most recently brook trout fingerlings in 2025 (2,500 fish).

• Thrush Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): brook trout (5), rainbow trout (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is brook trout: 8,003 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 48 ft; surface area 15 acres, 6 littoral acres, 0.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.6 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: September 15, 2021 (targeted survey).
• Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16019100.

Stocking history

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

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2021

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.

Thrush Lake is a designated stream trout lake, managed exclusively for brook trout since 1980. It is one of the Grand Marais area's "trophy trout" lakes, and as such is closed to winter fishing, with only catch and release fishing allowed during the open water season. The use of bait is prohibited, and anglers are limited to the use of artficial lures and flies only, with a single hook. The long range goal for brook trout established in the current (2018) lake management plan (LMP) was to maintain a population with two catchable-sized (over 10 inch) year classes, with 10% or more of fish over 12 inches exceeding 16 inches in length. This was the first of three targeted surveys using short-term gill net sets scheduled in the 2018 LMP to determine whether goals for this lake could be met after the stocking frequency was reduced to every odd-numbered year (started in 2021). Thrush Lake supported a high-quality brook trout population in 2021. In this targeted survey, 18 brook trout were captured in 12 short-term gill net sets made over a single day of sampling. All but one were released alive. Fish taken in 2021 ranged in length from 12.4 to 18.7 inches. Results indicated that management goals for the lake had been met in 2021. Although no fish were aged, it was clear from the length frequency distribution that at least two year classes had contributed to the catch, both of catchable sizes. Twenty-eight percent of the 12-inch or larger fish taken exceeded 16 inches in length. Only fish from the 2019, 2018, and 2015 fingerling stockings (fish 2, 3, or 6 years of age) were likely to have been present during this survey. All three may have contributed to the catch.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, September 15, 2021.

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