Triangle Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38071500
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Triangle Lake since 2018, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (400,000 fish).
- Triangle Lake has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2018-2024): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,200,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 43 ft, mean depth 14 ft; surface area 300 acres, 160 littoral acres, 10.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: cisco species, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 38071500.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 400,000 | 3.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 400,000 | 3.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 400,000 | 4.6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | USF | 10 rod portage from Ojibway L. This portage has a roller system along one side that enables people to pull their boats between lakes. |
| CA | USF | 160 rod portage from the North Kawishiwi River. The North Kawishiwi River is in the BWCAW & use there is by permit only. |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 9.89 | 89 | 1.41 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 30 | 2.92 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.89 | 26 | 0.11 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 2.83 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.16 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 9 | 2.24 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Standard gill nets | 0.11 | 1 | 3.46 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 4.44 | 40 | 0.13 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 2.04 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 2.46 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.09 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 2.99 |
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.
Triangle Lake is located 13 miles east of Ely. There are two "remote" public accesses. The most commonly used access is a 50 yard roller portage between the southern shore of Ojibway Lake and the northern shore of Triangle Lake. The portage is slightly uphill to Triangle but boats up to 16 feet long are able to be rolled over a series of rollers which are attached to two rails. The other access is on the southern shore and is a 160 rod portage to the North Kawishiwi River. This 300 acre lake contains no major inlets and only one outlet which is about 90 feet long and drops 4 feet in elevation to Ojibway Lake. Triangle Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet and the water color was green at the time of the survey with a slight algae bloom. On July 20, 2020 Triangle was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 73F and a bottom temperature of 44 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 19 feet where the water temperature was 59 F. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Triangle Lake are mostly boulder, rubble, gravel, and ledgerock. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 6 feet. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 21.2 fish/net which was slightly better than average compared to past catches. Total yield was 32.9 lbs/net which was below average for the lake. Fish species sampled in gill nets were walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and cisco. The overall trapnet catch rate for all fish combined was 8.3 fish/net which was slightly better than average compared to past catches. Total yield was 8.7 lbs/net which was also better than average. Eighty-nine walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 9.9 fish/net, which was very good compared to past surveys on Triangle and other similar lakes. Sizes ranged from 8 to 28 inches with an average of 14 inches, which was slightly smaller than past surveys. Growth rates were good with the average fish reaching 15 inches at four years old. Ages ranged from 1 to 18 with the strongest year classes coming from 2017 and 2018, the latter being a stocked year. Triangle is stocked with walleye fry every three years. The northern pike gillnet catch rate was 3.3 fish/net which was good compared to similar lakes and better than average for Triangle Lake. Lengths ranged from 19 to just over 38 inches with an average of 23 inches, which was similar to past surveys. Nine smallmouth bass were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 1.0 fish/net which was above average compared to other similar lakes and right at…
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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