Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest September 5, 2017
Species recorded at Carp Lake
10 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 Carp Lake
No stocking record for Carp Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 5, 2017 caught 16.50 walleye per gill net at Carp Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Carp Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2017-09-05 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2017-09-05 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 7.49 | 8–26 in 2017-09-05 | 1.61 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 6.15 | 7–15 in 2010-09-13 | 0.64 lb |
| White Sucker | 4.19 | 7–22 in 2017-09-05 | 2.8 lb |
| Bluegill | 2.35 | 3–8 in 2017-09-05 | 0.19 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.28 | 20–38 in 2017-09-05 | 3.61 lb |
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.
Walleye
Tullibee (Cisco)
White Sucker
Bluegill
From the 2017-09-05 survey
Birch Lake is located approximately 18 miles NE of Ely within the BWCAW. The northern half of the lake is part of Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park. Birch Lake is 836 acres with 397 of these acres in Minnesota. Visitors should be familiar with appropriate regulations when traveling these wilderness areas. Birch Lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Carp Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BirchFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Carp Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 5, 2017 caught 16.50 walleye per gill net at Carp Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–26 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 10 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 Carp Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Carp Lake is dated September 5, 2017. 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 Carp Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Carp Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Carp Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Carp Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. 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 Carp Lake
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