Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 4, 2025
Species recorded at Pine Mountain Lake
16 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 Pine Mountain 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
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 4.73 walleye per gill net at Pine Mountain Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pine Mountain Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 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: 2025-08-04 (Standard Survey).
14 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-04 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 50.72 | ||
| Yellow Perch | 26.27 | 5–9 in 2025-08-04 | 0.14 lb |
| Walleye | 10.27 | 8–25 in 2025-08-04 | 1.99 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
Walleye
From the 2025-08-04 survey
Pine Mountain Lake (DOW # 11-0411; Lake Class 22) is a 1,612 acre lake with 737 littoral acres, 9.4 miles of shoreline, and a maximum depth of 80 feet located in Backus, MN. There is a city-owned public access on the east shore. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pine Mountain Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Pine MountainFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Pine Mountain (1464)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Pine MountainFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Pine MountainPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Pine Mountain Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 4.73 walleye per gill net at Pine Mountain Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–25 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 16 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 Pine Mountain Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Pine Mountain Lake is dated August 4, 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 Pine Mountain Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Pine Mountain 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 Pine Mountain Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pine Mountain Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 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 Pine Mountain Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Pine Mountain Lake
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