Whisper Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69005900
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Whisper Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (20,000 fish).
- Whisper Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 100,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 46 acres, 38 littoral acres, 1.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69005900.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 20,000 | 0.2 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 20,000 | 0.2 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 20,000 | 0.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 20,000 | 0.2 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 20,000 | 0.2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | USF | 37 rod portage from USFS Road 191 off Co. Rd. 903 |
| CA | USF | 60 rod portage from Birch Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 14 | 2.17 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 5 | 0.71 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 0.70 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 4.32 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.58 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 5.56 | 50 | 0.27 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 3.56 | 32 | 0.40 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 2.07 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 4.30 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.31 |
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.
Whisper Lake is a 46 acre lake located three miles north of Babbitt. The accesses are a 37 rod portage off Forest Road 903 and a 60 rod portage from Birch Lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet and brown bog-stained water. The entire shoreline is publicly owned Superior National Forest land. Most of the shoreline is forested and rocky, or bog fringe. A few campsites are located along the north shore of the lake past where the portage ends. Whisper Lake was thermally stratified on July 19, 2021 with a surface temperature of 77 F and a bottom temperature of 54 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 11 feet where the water temperature was 72 F. There are no major inlets or outlets on Whisper Lake. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline consist of sand, muck, rubble, and boulder. Aquatic vegetation is very sparse and confined mostly to the northeast and southeast bays. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 12.5 fish/net which was tied for the second lowest on record for the lake. Fish species sampled were walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, and white sucker. The overall trap net catch rate was 12.7 fish/net which was lower than the past two surveys that used trap nets. No additional fish species were sampled in trap nets that weren't also caught in gill nets. The walleye catch rate in 2021 (7.0 fish/gill net) was the highest on record for Whisper Lake and better than average compared to other similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 17 to just over 21 inches with an average of nearly 19 inches and an average weight of over two pounds. Growth rates were very good with the average fish measuring nearly 16 inches at age-4. However, growth was minimal after 4 years, which may indicate lack of larger prey for larger walleye. Ages ranged from 4 to 15 years old. Thirty-two largemouth bass were sampled in trap nets for a catch rate of 3.6 fish/net which was very good compared to other similar lakes and the highest on record for Whisper Lake. It also ranked 4th out of 68 surveys that sampled largemouth with trap nets in the Tower area. Lengths ranged from 5 to 14 inches with an average of just over 8 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 7 years. Growth rates were very good with the average four year old fish measuring just over 11 inches. This was the second survey to sample smallmouth bass in Whisper Lake. Four were sampled in gill nets (2.0 fish/net) and six were caught in trap nets (0.7 fish/net). Lengths from the combined net catches ranged from 5 to nearly 15 inches with an average of 9 inches. Ages ranged…
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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