Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest September 22, 2025
Namakan Lake FishingNRNot rated for water quality
Minnesota DNR surveys at Namakan Lake average 7.41 walleye per unit of sampling effort (CPUE) across 42 surveys. The most recent is a Standard Survey dated September 22, 2025. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–24 inches. In St. Louis County, Minnesota, Namakan Lake has no letter grade — no water-quality sampling on record for this lake. The survey figures on this page are Minnesota DNR's own; the water-quality grade comes from EPA Water Quality Portal samples. Neither is a forecast of today's bite.
Stocking at Namakan Lake
No stocking record for Namakan 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 surveys at Namakan Lake average 7.41 walleye per unit of sampling effort (CPUE) across 42 surveys. The most recent is a Standard Survey dated September 22, 2025. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–24 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not a water-quality grade. LakeQuality does not assign an A–F grade on Namakan Lake — official chemistry is on file, not a letter. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
42 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-09-22 (Standard Survey).
Top Species by Catch Rate
| Species | Avg catch rate (CPUE) | Avg Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 10.60 | 0.78 lb |
| Walleye | 7.41 | 0.89 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.67 | 0.16 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE means more abundant in standardized sampling. This 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.
Tullibee (Cisco)
Walleye
Yellow Perch
From the 2025-09-22 survey
Namakan Lake is a class 2 lake located on the Minnesota-Ontario border within Voyageurs National Park (VNP). The total surface area is 24,066 acres, of which 49% or 11,755 acres lie within Minnesota. Namakan Lake is typical of lakes within the Canadian Shield with soft, oligotrophic water and intermediate…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Namakan Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — NamakanFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Namakan Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys at Namakan Lake average 7.41 walleye per unit of sampling effort (CPUE) across 42 surveys. The most recent is a Standard Survey dated September 22, 2025. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–24 inches. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Namakan Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Namakan Lake is dated September 22, 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 Namakan Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Namakan 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.
Does the water-quality grade tell me how Namakan Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not a water-quality grade. LakeQuality does not assign an A–F grade on Namakan Lake — official chemistry is on file, not a letter. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
A water-quality grade is 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 can grade well and still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
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