Upper Panasa Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31011100
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Upper Panasa Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2022 (200,000 fish).
- Upper Panasa Lake has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2016-2022): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 574,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 13 ft; surface area 148 acres, 148 littoral acres, 2.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.8 ft.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Calumet; DNR lake number (DOW) 31011100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 2.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 1.7 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 174,000 | 1.7 |
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 | TOW |
DNR fish survey, 2014
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 130.33 | 391 | 0.03 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 100.33 | 301 | 0.18 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 10.67 | 32 | 0.08 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 8.67 | 26 | 2.63 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 18 | 2.28 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.15 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.49 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 11.67 | 105 | 0.09 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 9.22 | 83 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.38 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.41 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 2.25 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 2.42 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.11 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.07 |
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 Panasa Lake is a small, eutrophic lake located one mile south of Calumet, Minnesota in the Mississippi River watershed. The lake has a total surface area of 174 acres and a maximum depth of 13 feet. Water clarity has been poor, as Secchi disk transparency has ranged from 1.5 to 4.5 ft. The inlets originate from Mud Lake, a swamp drainage, and from a sewage treatment plant. The outlet, Upper Panasa Creek, flows into Lower Panasa Lake. The lake has a limited plant community due to poor water clarity and the shorelines have been disturbed by past mining activity. The lake management plan was last revised in 2002. Northern Pike were the primary management species and Black Crappie and Walleye were secondary management species. The goals of the lake management plan were to maintain the Northern Pike gill net catch rate at 7.0 fish/net and maintain the Black Crappie trap net catch at 2.1 fish/net or gill-net catch at 2.5 fish/net. A population assessment was conducted in August of 2014 to assess the status of the fish community. This assessment consisted of 3 gill net sets and 9 trap net sets. Yellow Perch were the most commonly captured fish and the gill net catch was high compared to similar lakes and was the highest catch reported for the lake. Perch were generally too small to interest anglers, as length ranged from 5.3 to 10.4 inches and averaged 6.4 inches. Four year classes were present (2-5) and growth was near the statewide average with individuals exceeding 7 inches in five years. Upper Panasa Lake has a history of high Black Bullhead catches. Black Bullhead were common in 2014 as the gill net catch was high compared to similar lakes. Size structure was poor, as Bullhead ranged from 5.0 to 10.3 inches and averaged 7.9 inches. Northern Pike were the primary gamefish present and the catch was typical for the lake class and similar to past catches on Upper Panasa. This catch met the lake management plan goal set in 2002. Size structure was moderate as Pike ranged from 18.2 to 27.2 inches and averaged 23.6 inches. Age analysis identified 5 year classes (1-5) and growth was fast as Pike exceeded 24 inches by age 4. Other species present include Brown Bullhead, Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. The fish community was representative of a lake with occasional winterkill events. No fish were estimated to be older than age 5, and no Walleye or Black Crappie were captured, suggesting winterkill in the recent past. The winter of 2008/2009 included several heavy late winter snowfalls and a later than normal ice out…
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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