Trout Lake (Itasca County, DOW 31041000)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31041000
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Trout Lake (Itasca County, DOW 31041000) since 2016, most recently lake trout yearlings in 2017 (4,788 fish).
- Trout Lake (Itasca County, DOW 31041000) has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2016-2017): lake trout (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is lake trout: 16,468 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 157 ft; surface area 1,743 acres, 386 littoral acres, 13.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: lake trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Grand Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 31041000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/5/1975 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 4,788 | 409.9 |
| 2016 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 11,680 | 1,089.5 |
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 | county | A county access (33 ft easement) is located on the north side of the lake at the resort. No parking is available except for fee at resort. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (cisco) | Deep gill nets | 33.47 | 502 | 0.12 |
| Northern pike | Deep gill nets | 1.33 | 20 | 4.56 |
| Walleye | Deep gill nets | 0.53 | 8 | 6.93 |
| Yellow perch | Deep gill nets | 0.33 | 5 | 0.09 |
| Lake trout | Deep gill nets | 0.20 | 3 | 5.29 |
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.
Trout Lake is located about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids in the Chippewa National Forest. Fish production is limited due to low fertility associated with oligotrophic conditions. Early records indicate Lake Trout were a large component of the fishery and has been a primary management species since 1975. Management consisted of frequent stockings. Most stocked fish were given a specific fin clip to help differentiate between stocked age classes and natural reproduction since 1990. Stocking was discontinued after 2017 due to poor returns. The 2016 lake management plan (LMP) lists Lake Trout as a primary management species, with a deep-water gill net goal of 1.0/net. The 2022 targeted survey was conducted to evaluate the status of the Lake Trout population. Lake Trout are seldom abundant due to the nature of the cold, infertile lakes they inhabit. They often occupy deep, open water and can be difficult to sample, so low catch rates are common. Despite favorable conditions, catches in deep-water gill nets in Trout Lake have been low, ranging from 0.1 to 2.2/net since 1990. The 2022 catch of 0.2/net resembled the previous survey (0.3/net) and did not meet the LMP goal. All three captured trout had a fin clip indicating two were from the 2017 and one from 2016 stockings. Captured trout ranged from 21.8 to 24.8 inches. The lack of younger fish in the sample suggests natural recruitment has not contributed to the fishery in recent years. The limiting factors for Lake Trout are not clear but it appears recruitment has been poor over the last 20 years regardless of stocking efforts. Additionally, past sampling found preferred habitat may be limited some summers. Tullibee are considered the main prey fish in Trout Lake and were abundant in the 2022 survey. The catch of 33.5/net was a high catch compared to most surveys. Tullibee were generally small in Trout Lake, making them an ideal prey item for large predators. The 2022 sample averaged 8.2 inches, comparable to previous surveys. Competition from coolwater predators did not appear to limit Lake Trout. Deep-water gill nets may not reflect the numbers of other species, but Walleye and Northern Pike catches resembled previous surveys and have never been high. The fishery provides good opportunities for anglers to catch large or even trophy pike and Walleye. Both species appear to have high quality size structure as pike averaged 27 inches and a Walleye exceeding 29 inches was captured. Yellow Perch were the only other species sampled in deep-water gill nets.
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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