Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 1, 2024
Species recorded at Deep Portage Lake
9 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 Deep Portage Lake
No stocking record for Deep Portage 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 Targeted Survey on August 9, 2017 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Deep Portage Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deep Portage 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
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-08-01 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2024-08-01 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 7.70 | 14–30 in 2017-08-09 | 1.65 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.24 | 5 in 2001-08-13 | 0.13 lb |
| Walleye | 1.84 | 20–26 in 2017-08-09 | 3.1 lb |
| Bluegill | 1.74 | 4–7 in 2017-08-09 | 0.13 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 1.55 | 7–15 in 2017-08-09 | 0.65 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 1.53 | 9 in 2017-08-09 | 0.32 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.
Northern Pike
Yellow Perch
Walleye
Bluegill
From the 2024-08-01 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles were collected in the deepest basin in Deep Portage Lake on August 1, 2024, 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 lake. Cisco…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Deep Portage Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Deep PortageFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Deep Portage Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 9, 2017 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Deep Portage Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–26 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 9 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 Deep Portage Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Deep Portage Lake is dated August 1, 2024. 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 Deep Portage Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Deep Portage 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 Deep Portage Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deep Portage 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.
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