Minnesota · Carlton County

Park Lake Fishing guide

Park Lake is a 381-acre lake in Carlton County, Minnesota, reaching 16 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 9.3 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 16 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface381 ac

Max depth16 ft

Mean5 ft

Clarity9.3 ft

Littoral99%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Park Lake through the year

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
Early summer: Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
Summer: Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 99% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze. A 16-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
Early summer: Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
Summer: Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. With 99% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 16-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Largemouth bass	Northern pike	Walleye
2022	19"	32"	22"
2012	18"	32"	24"
2004	21"	34"	30"
1999	18"	31"	24"
1994	18"	32"	22"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

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Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Flipping/Punching Creature Bait

4" beaver/creature-style bait

2–12 ftdead slow

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Northern pike · Hardbaits

Weedless Spoon + Trailer (Silver Minnow)

3/8–1/2 oz weedless spoon

1–8 ftslow

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Northern pike · Soft plastics

Weighted-EWG Weedless Swimbait

5" paddletail swimbait

2–12 ftmoderate

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Walleye · Live bait

Slip Bobber + Leech

jumbo or large leech

4–20 ftdead slow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

Shop curly-tail grubs →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

Duluth Area fisheries staff conducted a targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Park Lake, located within the 1854 Ceded Territory, on July 22-23, 2025. Sampling sites were sampled for fish using backpack electrofishing and beach seines, depending on habitat conditions. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at four stations. Two stations were not seined due to poor wading conditions. Nearshore sampling captured 19 species of fish, including two species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Iowa Darter and Rock Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead).

The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an August 2022 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish- based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish present can help identify stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake's environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Read the full DNR narrative

Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Park Lake is healthy, as indicated by an FIBI score above the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings, indicating that Park Lake fully supports aquatic life. The survey results will be considered when assessing the lake's biological health during the Kettle River watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with the MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Park Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Park Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Park Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Carlton County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Park Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Park Lake depth map

Park Lake depth contour map, Carlton County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 16 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Corona Lake · 27 ac · 3.8 mi
Hizer Lake · 34 ac · 5.1 mi
Big Lake · 526 ac · 5.7 mi
Sand Lake · 128 ac · 7.5 mi
Blackhoof Lake · 41 ac · 7.9 mi
Bear Lake · 100 ac · 8.3 mi
Hay Lake · 140 ac · 9.2 mi
Little Hanging Horn Lake · 114 ac · 9.4 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Park Lake?

Park Lake reaches 16 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 5 ft; about 99% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Park Lake?

Park Lake covers 381 acres with about 3.4 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Park Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Park Lake average 9.3 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Park Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Park Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Park Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Park Lake have a public access?

Yes. Park Lake has one public access site: Park Lake (trailer launch).

How big do largemouth bass get in Park Lake?

The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 19"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1994.

When was Park Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Park Lake in 2025, the most recent of 8 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Park Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Park Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report