Whitefish Lake (Beltrami County)
Beltrami County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 04030000
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Whitefish Lake (Beltrami County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (50,000 fish).
- Whitefish Lake (Beltrami County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 311,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 30 ft; surface area 128 acres, 52 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Beltrami County, nearest town Pinewood; DNR lake number (DOW) 04030000.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 62,000 | 0.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 99,000 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | county | Public access on the NE corner of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 13.60 | 68 | 1.25 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 10.20 | 51 | 0.19 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 3.60 | 18 | 0.16 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.60 | 8 | 0.86 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.60 | 8 | 0.18 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.20 | 6 | 0.26 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 5 | 0.90 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.40 | 2 | 1.12 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 5.44 | 49 | 0.31 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.21 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.89 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.47 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.51 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 1.05 |
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.
Whitefish Lake is a 128-acre lake with a maximum depth of 30 feet located 1 mile northeast of Pinewood in Beltrami County. There is a County-owned public water access located on the northeast shore of the lake with an earthen ramp and parking for 3 vehicles/trailers. Whitefish Lake is managed primarily for Bluegill and Black Crappie, with Walleye managed as a secondary species. The 2025 Bluegill trap net catch rate of 5.4 fish/net declined from 9.3 fish/net in 2015 but good size structure remained intact. The average size of Bluegill captured was 6.7 inches in length, with fish up to 10.2 inches captured in the survey. A good portion of the trap net catch exceeded 8 inches in length. Growth rates were above average with fish reaching 8 inches in length between 4 and 5 years of age. The 2025 catch rate for Northern Pike was 13.6 fish/gill net, which is relatively high for a lake like Whitefish. The average size of pike captured in the survey was 17.6 inches in length and 1.3 lbs/fish with pike exceeding 31 inches in length present. Whitefish Lake is stocked with Walleye fry on alternate years which has provided some Walleye fishing opportunity at times. The 2025 survey only captured one, 20-inch Walleye. Walleye numbers in Whitefish Lake have steadily declined over the last decade. Walleye anglers may want to consider one of the many other lakes in the Bemidji area that have more consistent Walleye fishing than Whitefish Lake. Black Crappie catch rates were slightly below average compared to similar lakes. The few Black Crappie captured in the survey (13 total) measured up to 12.9 inches in length. As with most lakes, the crappie population is likely cyclic and may provide good angling opportunity at times. Other species of fish captured in the 2025 survey were Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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