Upper Comstock Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69041201
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Upper Comstock Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (130,000 fish).
- Upper Comstock Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 910,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 28 ft, mean depth 12 ft; surface area 267 acres, 130 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Whiteface; DNR lake number (DOW) 69041201.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1936 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 130,000 | 1.1 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 130,000 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 130,000 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 3.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 11.00 | 66 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.17 | 31 | 0.29 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 21 | 1.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 3.04 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 11 | 1.19 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.22 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.49 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.85 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 3.78 | 34 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 2.72 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.09 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 1.22 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.26 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.10 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 2.39 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.41 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 3.04 | 4 | 3.05 |
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.
Upper Comstock is a small, relatively shallow lake located approximately six miles south of Markham, Minnesota. The lake is moderately developed and is connected to the Whiteface River by Gimlet Creek, an outlet on the western shoreline. Upper Comstock is also connected to Lower Comstock by a channel that is navigable by small watercraft. A state-owned public access is located at the north side of the lake. The 2019 lake management plan (LMP) listed Walleye and Black Crappie as the primary management species and Bluegill and Largemouth Bass as secondary species. The primary goals are to manage for moderate Walleye and Black Crappie populations with balanced size structure. A standard survey was conducted during the summer of 2024 to update information about fish populations and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Walleye stocking program. Walleye fry are stocked into Upper Comstock at a rate of 1,000 per littoral acre (130,000) every even year. Walleye catch of 1.8 per gill net lift was below average compared to other similar lakes. Walleye average length was 14.7 inches with the largest measuring approximately 22 inches. Fifty percent of Walleye aged corresponded to stocked year-classes suggesting stocking may be contributing to anglers catch despite the below average catch rate observed. Black Crappie catch of 0.9 per trap net was average compared to other similar lakes. Gill net catch was 5.2 per lift and is above average compared to similar lakes. The average length of Black Crappies caught in gill nets was 8.2 inches, but no fish over 10 inches long were sampled. Size distribution of Black Crappie was fair with 45% exceeding quality size (greater than 8 inches), but none exceeding preferred size (greater than 10 inches). Bluegill catch of 3.8 per trap net was average when compared to other similar lakes. Bluegill averaged 5.9 inches in length, but several large fish over nine inches were sampled. Size distribution of Bluegill was good with 63% exceeding quality size (greater than 6 inches) and 13% exceeding preferred size (greater than 8 inches), but none exceeding memorable size (greater than 10 inches). Quality Bluegill populations exist in Upper Comstock and angling for them is expected to be good. Spring electrofishing targeting Largemouth Bass captured 4 fish ranging from 13.9 to 19.2 inches long. Largemouth Bass have not been captured since 1993 which indicates the population may be slowly expanding. It appears that quality bass fishing opportunities may exist in the future. Northern Pike abundance of 2.7 per gill net was average compared…
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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