Winchester Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69069000
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Winchester Lake since 2017, most recently splake yearlings in 2024 (2,715 fish).
- Winchester Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2024): splake (2), lake trout (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is lake trout: 7,981 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 50 ft, mean depth 28 ft; surface area 319 acres, 54 littoral acres, 5.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, cisco species, lake trout, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, splake, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Orr; DNR lake number (DOW) 69069000.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Splake | yearlings | 2,715 | 512.3 |
| 2022 | Splake | yearlings | 2,658 | 455.1 |
| 2019 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 3,550 | 382.5 |
| 2017 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 4,431 | 395.3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| O | Minnesota DNR | - ELBOW LAKE FORESTRY RD. NORTHWEST PAPER COMPANY ROAD FOR 5.2 MILES. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco (tullibee) | Deep gill nets | 11.20 | 56 | 0.10 |
| Splake | Deep gill nets | 3.20 | 16 | 0.66 |
| Yellow perch | Deep gill nets | 0.60 | 3 | 0.08 |
| Rock bass | Deep gill nets | 0.60 | 3 | 0.35 |
| SMS | Deep gill nets | 0.20 | 1 | 0.01 |
| Lake trout | Deep gill nets | 0.20 | 1 | 12.10 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 20 | 0.23 |
| Splake | Standard gill nets | 1.75 | 7 | 1.60 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 5 | 1.42 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 3 | 0.24 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 2 | 7.91 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.27 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Short-term gill nets | 2.12 | 34 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Short-term gill nets | 1.69 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Splake | Short-term gill nets | 0.69 | 11 | 1.91 |
| Lake trout | Short-term gill nets | 0.31 | 5 | 3.56 |
| White sucker | Short-term gill nets | 0.12 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Short-term gill nets | 0.06 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Short-term gill nets | 0.06 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Short-term gill nets | 0.06 | 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.
Winchester Lake is a 319-acre lake in St. Louis County located approximately 12 miles east of Orr. Winchester has a maximum depth of 50 feet with steep drop-offs and tannin-stained waters typical of Canadian Shield lakes. Approximately 17 percent of the lake is less than 15 feet deep and aquatic vegetation is limited to a few shallow bays. The shoreline of Winchester Lake is rugged and heavily forested. A newly developed carry-in access is located on the east end of the lake. The access is suitable for small boats and canoes and an ATV trail provides access from the public road that circles the east end of the lake. Winchester Lake has historically been managed for Lake Trout and stocking dates back to 2005. Annual Lake Trout stocking occurred from 2005 to 2009, at which time biennial stocking began and continued through 2019. Due to limited success and decreasing numbers of Lake Trout in recent surveys, Lake Trout stocking was discontinued after 2019, and the primary management species was changed to Splake. Yearling Splake stocking began in 2022 and was repeated in 2024. A standard survey was completed in Winchester Lake in 2024. The survey consisted of spring littoral index netting (SLIN) during early-May, and a stratified gill net assessment utilizing both shallow-water (GSH) and deep-water (GDE) gill netting during mid-August. SLIN netting is a non-lethal sampling method and has been shown to be effective at sampling both Splake and Lake Trout. SLIN netting sampled 11 Splake and 5 Lake Trout. Due to the similarity in appearance between the two species, fin clips were used for species identification. Splake stocked into Winchester Lake are not clipped, while varying clips have been applied to Lake Trout. The most common clip applied to the Lake Trout is an adipose clip, while other fin clips including the right or left ventral may also be present. Splake sampled in SLIN nets ranged in length from 16.4 to 20.4 inches with a mean length of 19.7 inches. Lake Trout sampled in SLIN nets ranged in length from 20.7 to 21.7 inches with a mean length of 21.1 inches. Splake gill net catch rates were 1.8 fish per net in shallow-water gill nets and 3.2 fish per net in deep-water gill nets. Total length of Splake ranged from 8.0 to 19.9 inches with an average length of 13.2 inches. The average weight was 0.7 pounds. A total of two year-classes were present and ages ranged from 2 to 4 years. Both year classes correspond to stocked years. Growth rate of the 2022 stocked Splake is good with some individuals reaching 20.0 inches, while the 2024 stocked fish average…
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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