Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest September 18, 2023
Species recorded at White Iron Lake
10 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 White Iron Lake
No stocking record for White Iron 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
2 public boat landings are recorded on White Iron 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 September 18, 2023 caught 5.33 walleye per gill net at White Iron Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows White Iron 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
17 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-09-18 (Standard Survey).
17 surveys on file · most recent 2023-09-18 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 8.97 | 6–14 in 2020-08-24 | 0.34 lb |
| Walleye | 7.90 | 4–25 in 2023-09-18 | 1.04 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 4.92 | 3–11 in 2023-09-18 | 0.2 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 2.28 | 10 in 2023-09-18 | 1.47 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.26 | 8–21 in 2023-09-18 | 2.54 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.
Tullibee (Cisco)
Walleye
Yellow Perch
Smallmouth Bass
From the 2023-09-18 survey
White Iron Lake is fairly large, at 3,246 acres, and is three miles southeast of Ely. The lake has two public access with concrete boat ramps, both on the west side of the lake. White Iron Lake can also be accessed by boat from the Garden Reservoir via Farm Lake. Water levels on the lake are affected seasonally by a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for White Iron Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — White IronFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — White Iron (1891)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — White IronPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in White Iron Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 18, 2023 caught 5.33 walleye per gill net at White Iron Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–25 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 10 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 White Iron Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for White Iron Lake is dated September 18, 2023. 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 White Iron Lake stocked?
No stocking record for White Iron 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 White Iron Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows White Iron 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 White Iron Lake
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