Wolf Lake (Aitkin County)
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01001900
Wolf Lake (Aitkin County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Wolf Lake (Aitkin County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 31 ft; surface area 173 acres, 161 littoral acres, 2.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, northern pike, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Tamarack; DNR lake number (DOW) 01001900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | - An access on the northwest corner of the lake is managed by the Savanna-Portage State Park for park patrons only. |
DNR fish survey, 2012
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 90.33 | 271 | 0.15 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 27 | 1.22 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 8.67 | 26 | 0.42 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.67 | 14 | 0.41 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 6 | 0.71 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.12 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 1.14 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 31.17 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 2.60 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 2.60 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 2.60 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 5.29 | 37 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | 15-ft beach seine | 4.57 | 32 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 15-ft beach seine | 3.14 | 22 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 0.29 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Brown bullhead | 15-ft beach seine | 0.14 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | 15-ft beach seine | 0.14 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 15-ft beach seine | 0.14 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.89 | 26 | 0.25 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 1.46 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.28 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.36 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.40 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.11 |
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.
Wolf Lake is located along the Continental Divide between the Mississippi River and Lake Superior watersheds and is entirely within Savanna Portage State Park in eastern Aitkin County. A state park permit is required to access the lake. It is the only lake in the Saint Louis River drainage surveyed by Aitkin area fisheries staff. The shoreline is completely undeveloped and the land adjacent to the lake is primarily a mix of wetlands and lowland spruce forest. Most of the lake is shallow, less than ten feet deep, except for one hole that reaches a maximum of 31 feet. Low winter oxygen conditions have occurred in past winters resulting in fish kills, but apparently not in recent years. The fish community is relatively simple with ten species observed during the 2012 survey, which included standard survey nets and additional sampling for non-game fish. The most popular game fishes to target are northern pike and black crappie. Northern pike, which have reestablished a naturally reproducing population since being stocked in 1997 and 1998 due to low abundance, have a poor size structure with most fish less than 24 inches long. Research suggests that production of large predator biomass is relatively low and harvest of only a few large pike from a lake of this size can greatly impact the population. Anglers are encouraged to release larger pike and keep the smaller fish for a meal. Recycling the quality sized fish is also the best way to ensure a quality sized fish in your next trip. Black crappie have also become established since being introduced to the lake in 1995. They are naturally a reproducing population with a good size structure. The 2012 catch of 8.7 per gill net was above the normal range for similar lakes. Size in standard survey gear ranged from 4.5 to 11.5 inches and averaged 7.6 inches with 29% greater than 10 inches. Yellow perch may also provide some angling opportunities although their abundance is below the normal range for similar lakes. Size of fish was good with an average of 9.1 inches. Other fish species sampled, in 2012, include bluegill, brown bullhead, golden shiner, Iowa darter, tadpole madtom, and white sucker.
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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