Waukenabo Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01013600
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Waukenabo Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (6,522 fish).
- Waukenabo Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 257,642 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 668 acres, 292 littoral acres, 5.0 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, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Palisade; DNR lake number (DOW) 01013600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 5/26/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,522 | 217.4 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | yearlings | 3,876 | 218.7 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,101 | 218.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,083 | 219.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,375 | 219.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,892 | 220.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 1.7 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 14,625 | 585.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 14,168 | 584.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - THE DESIGNATED PUBLIC ACCESS IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE LAKE AND CAN BE REACHED VIA SOUTH WAUKENABO LAKE ROAD. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 177.33 | 532 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 132.00 | 396 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 14.00 | 42 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 50-ft beach seine | 8.00 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 8.00 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Brook stickleback | 50-ft beach seine | 4.33 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 4.33 | 13 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 2.33 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 36.20 | 181 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 10.00 | 50 | 0.00 |
| Brook stickleback | 15-ft beach seine | 4.80 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 15 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 1.80 | 9 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 15-ft beach seine | 1.20 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 21.25 | 49 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 18.65 | 43 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 5.64 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 4.34 | 10 | 0.00 |
| BCS | Backpack electrofishing | 2.17 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 1.73 | 4 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 1.30 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 0.43 | 1 | 0.00 |
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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Waukenabo Lake was conducted on August 6, 2025, by Aitkin area fisheries staff. Sampling sites (N=14) were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 sampling stations, 2 of which were sampled via boat due to deep water, soft sediment, or dense emergent vegetation. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 2 stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at 5 stations. Six stations were not seined due to deep water, soft sediment, or dense emergent vegetation. Nearshore sampling captured 18 species of fish including 4 species that are intolerant of disturbance (e.g., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass) and zero that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an 8/4/2025 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based score of biotic integrity (FIBI). The FIBI score uses fish community data to quantify a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish, Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to expected values for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov web site. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Waukenabo Lake is healthy, as indicated by a FIBI score above the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings which indicated that Waukenabo Lake is fully supporting aquatic life. These survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River-Grand Rapids watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Waukenabo by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
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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