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LakeQuality
The bow of a canoe on flat evening water, a spruce and birch shoreline ahead, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Updated August 2026

Boot Lake Fishing

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 16, 2021 caught 5.22 walleye per gill net at Boot Lake. In Becker County, Minnesota, Boot Lake has nutrient and algae readings on record from state and federal monitoring. Water clarity averages 19.5 feet of visibility, and the lake has public access. The survey figures on this page are Minnesota DNR's own; the water-quality readings come from EPA Water Quality Portal samples. Neither is a forecast of today's bite.

Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 30, 2025

Species recorded at Boot Lake

14 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.

Stocking at Boot Lake

Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for this lake — which species went in, how many, and in which years. Read the years: a lake stocked in one year is not necessarily stocked in the next.

Getting on the water

Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.

Survey results in full

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 16, 2021 caught 5.22 walleye per gill net at Boot Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

14 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey).

14 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey)

SpeciesCatch rate (CPUE)SizeAvg weight
Bluegill
17.34
3–7 in
2021-08-16
0.1 lb
Largemouth Bass
11.90
5–14 in
2021-08-16
0.69 lb
Bluntnose Minnow
10.89

CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.

Length Distributions

Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.

Bluegill

101 fish · 3–7 in · 2021-08-16
2613034567

Largemouth Bass

20 fish · 5–14 in · 2021-08-16
420567891011121314

From the 2025-07-30 survey

Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Boot Lake on July 30th, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Boot Lake. 4 reports on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Common questions

What fish are in Boot Lake?

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 16, 2021 caught 5.22 walleye per gill net at Boot Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 14 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.

When was Boot Lake last surveyed?

The most recent fisheries survey on file for Boot Lake is dated July 30, 2025. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.

Is Boot Lake stocked?

Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Boot Lake. It records which species were released, in what numbers and in which years — the source documents are linked further down this page. A lake can be stocked in some years and not others, so read the years rather than assuming an annual release.

Do the water-quality readings tell me how Boot Lake fishes?

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

Before you eat what you catch

Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.

Where to stay near Boot Lake

Top-rated places to stay near Boot Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

See the full where-to-stay map for Boot Lake →

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