Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 30, 2025
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.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 1979 caught 0.50 northern pike per gill net 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 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 35.00 | 0.34 lb | |
| Smallmouth Bass | 1.50 | 1.83 lb | |
| White Sucker | 1.50 | 2.92 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 0.50 | 3.6 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.
From the 2025-07-30 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Portage Lake on July 30th, 2025. This was done 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…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for 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 — PortageFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Portage Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 1979 caught 0.50 northern pike per gill net at Portage Lake. 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 July 30, 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 6 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
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