Upper (North) Island Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 09006001
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Upper (North) Island Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2018 (87,000 fish).
- Upper (North) Island Lake has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2016-2018): walleye (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 174,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 25 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 114 acres, 87 littoral acres, 2.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Carlton County, nearest town Cromwell; DNR lake number (DOW) 09006001.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/14/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 87,000 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 87,000 | 0.8 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | UKN | - On street parking only. No turnaround. Very limited parking. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 12.33 | 74 | 0.20 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.83 | 59 | 1.85 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 7.33 | 44 | 0.11 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.85 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 5 | 3.74 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.28 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.30 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.49 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 5.11 | 46 | 0.27 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 4.44 | 40 | 0.17 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.78 | 34 | 0.22 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.12 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.41 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.82 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.98 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 5.10 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 4.17 | 4 | 1.98 |
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 Island is a 101 acre lake with 100 (99%) acres of littoral area and a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake is located just north of Cromwell, MN off State Highway #210 and has a DNR administered earthen, back-in access. The public access is located off the County Road #120 right-of-way and has very limited parking. The fish community of Upper Island was last assessed in 2019, and the lake is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass and Bluegill. Upper Island was surveyed during the summer of 2021 to update information about fish populations following a winterkill event which occurred during the spring of 2020. A total of four Largemouth Bass were sampled by electrofishing. The Largemouth Bass catch rate was 4.2 fish per hour, which was below average compared to other Duluth Area lakes. Average length of sampled Largemouth Bass was 15.5 inches. Three year-classes were present and good connectivity to adjacent waterbodies (Lower Island and the Tamarack River) will allow Largemouth Bass populations in Upper Island to recover quickly if they were impacted by the winterkill event. Bluegill population densities were average compared to other similar Minnesota lakes. Bluegill average length was 6.1 inches and growth was fast compared to other Duluth Area lakes. The proportion of adult Bluegill that exceeded quality size (greater than 6 inches) was 64%, while the proportion that exceeded preferred size (greater than 8 inches) was 26%. Black Crappie population densities were above average compared to other similar Minnesota Lakes. Black Crappie average length was 7.3 inches. All year-classes from 2015 to 2019 were represented indicating consistent natural reproduction. The Walleye gillnet abundance of 0.8 per lift was below average compared to other similar Minnesota lakes. Average size was large at 21.9 inches. The 2012 and 2014 year-classes were represented and may provide notable incidental catches for anglers. The Northern Pike gillnet abundance of 9.8 per lift was above average compared to other similar Minnesota lakes. Average size was 20.6 inches but some preferred size fish were captured over 28 inches long.
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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