Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest May 14, 2025
Species recorded at Portage Lake
11 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 Portage Lake
No stocking record for 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.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Portage Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 10, 2022 caught 1.42 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Portage Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Portage Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-05-14 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2025-05-14 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 24.14 | 3–9 in 2025-05-14 | 0.22 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 22.38 | 4–10 in 2022-06-27 | 0.43 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 11.00 | 5 in 2025-05-14 | 0.1 lb |
| Black Crappie | 9.91 | 7–14 in 2025-05-14 | 0.17 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 7.71 | 5–6 in 2022-06-27 | 0.12 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.
Bluegill
Black Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
From the 2025-05-14 survey
Portage Lake is 372 acres with an average depth of 8 feet and a maximum depth of 18 feet. A targeted panfish assessment was conducted on 5/14/2025. A total of 34 Bluegill were captured for a trap net catch rate of 5.7 per net. Bluegill averaged 6.7 inches with fish up to 9.3 inches observed. Fish ranged from 2 to 8…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Portage Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PortageFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Portage (0077)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PortagePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Portage Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 10, 2022 caught 1.42 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Portage Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 11 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 Portage Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Portage Lake is dated May 14, 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 Portage Lake stocked?
No stocking record for 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 Portage Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Portage Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. 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 Portage Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Portage Lake
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