Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 1, 2022
Species recorded at Irving Lake
20 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 Irving Lake
No stocking record for Irving 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.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Irving Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2022 caught 5.00 walleye per gill net at Irving Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Irving 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
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-08-01 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2022-08-01 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 53.77 | 4–11 in 2022-08-01 | 0.2 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 7.77 | ||
| Rock Bass | 6.41 | 3–11 in 2022-08-01 | 0.57 lb |
| White Sucker | 5.49 | 16–19 in 2022-08-01 | 2.04 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.
Yellow Perch
Rock Bass
White Sucker
From the 2022-08-01 survey
Lake Irving is a 661-acre, heavily developed natural lake located in southern Beltrami County, within the city of Bemidji, and on the Mississippi River. Irving has an average water clarity of 2 feet and a maximum depth of 19 feet. Lake Irving has an inlet via the Mississippi River located on the southern shore and an…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Irving Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — IrvingFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Irving (1726)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — IrvingPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Irving Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2022 caught 5.00 walleye per gill net at Irving Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 20 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 Irving Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Irving Lake is dated August 1, 2022. 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 Irving Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Irving 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 Irving Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Irving 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 Irving Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Irving Lake
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