Minnesota · St. Louis County
Pleasant Lake Fishing guide
Pleasant Lake is a 335-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota, reaching 33 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 11.5 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 7 times, most recently in 2021, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers39per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 54 fish
Recent · 2021Lengths measured · 54 fish
2021Lengths measured · 32 fish
2013Lengths measured · 40 fish
2003Lengths measured · 8 fish
1993Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Northern pikeFair numbers9per gill net23"Typical31"Biggest
Lengths measured · 58 fish
Recent · 2021Lengths measured · 58 fish
2021Lengths measured · 65 fish
2013Lengths measured · 62 fish
2003Lengths measured · 14 fish
1993BluegillGood numbers69.7per trap net4"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 418 fish
Recent · 2021Lengths measured · 418 fish
2021Lengths measured · 279 fish
2013Lengths measured · 299 fish
2003Lengths measured · 280 fish
1993CrappieJust a few5.7per trap net6"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 36 fish
Recent · 2021Lengths measured · 36 fish
2021Lengths measured · 84 fish
2013Lengths measured · 180 fish
2003Lengths measured · 43 fish
1993Yellow perchFair numbers3.3per gill net5"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 22 fish
Recent · 2021Lengths measured · 22 fish
2021Lengths measured · 8 fish
2013Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 11 fish
2003Lengths measured · 235 fish
1993Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Pleasant 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. At 11.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- 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.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 11.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- 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.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18" | 31" | 20" |
| 2013 | 18" | 30" | 21" |
| 2003 | 17" | 33" | 20" |
| 1993 | 16" | 31" | 25" |
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
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
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 2021 survey
Pleasant Lake is a 335 acre lake located four miles south of Eveleth. The lake has one access which is a concrete ramp off the Pleasant Grove Road. It has a maximum depth of 33 feet and brownish green colored water at the time of this survey.
On June 7, 2021 Pleasant Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 75 F and a bottom temperature of 47 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 18.0 feet where the temperature was 55 F. Pleasant has three inlets, two of which come from local wetlands and the third is a tributary from Warren Lake. The lone outlet flows to the St. Louis River. Most of the lake bottom substrates along the shoreline is sand with smaller amounts of detritus, silt, and gravel. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 12 feet and a fringe of emergent vegetation is found around most of the lake with concentrations of additional submergents in most of the bays.
Read the full DNR narrative
The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 15.7 fish/net which was below average compared to past surveys on Pleasant Lake. Fish species sampled in gill nets were northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, black crappie, and walleye. The overall trapnet catch rate for all fish combined was 81.2 fish/net which was the highest on record for Pleasant Lake. Additional fish species sampled in trap nets that weren't also caught in gill nets were bluegill, golden shiner, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, rock bass, and common shiner.
The northern pike gillnet catch was 9.0 fish/net which was the highest on record for the lake and very good compared to other similar lakes. Sizes ranged from 13.5 to 32 inches with an average of just over 23 inches which was similar to sizes from past pike catches on the lake.
Electrofishing was used for the second time on Pleasant Lake for largemouth bass sampling. Fifty-two largemouth bass were captured in 1.33 hours of fishing for a total catch rate of 39.0 bass/hour. This was above average compared to other area largemouth lakes. Lengths ranged from 6 to 18.5 inches with an average of nearly 14 inches. The average weight was nearly 2 pounds which was quite good when compared to other area largemouth lakes. Growth rates were also very good with the typical 4 year old fish measuring nearly 12 inches.
The black crappie trapnet catch rate was 5.7 fish/net, which was good compared to other similar lakes and the second highest catch on record for Pleasant Lake. Lengths however were fairly small ranging from 4 to nearly 9 inches with an average of just under 7 inches. These small sizes were similar to past catches on Pleasant Lake.
The bluegill trapnet catch was 69.7 fish/net which was by far the highest on record for the lake. Sizes were similar to past surveys with a range from 3 to 8 inches and an average of just over 5 inches. Ages ranged from 3 to 10 years old with no missing year classes. Growth rates were slow with the average fish taking four years to reach four inches long.
The yellow perch gillnet catch rate was 3.3 fish/net which was below average compared to other similar lakes but right at the average of all past surveys on Pleasant Lake. Lengths ranged from 5 to nearly 10 inches with an average of just over 6 inches.
Other species sampled in similar numbers to past surveys were white sucker, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, walleye, and rock bass. Common shiner and golden shiner were both sampled for the first time in Pleasant Lake.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Pleasant Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Pleasant 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.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Pleasant Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Pleasant Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Half Moon Lake · 162 ac · 1.2 mi
- St. Mary's Lake · 234 ac · 2.5 mi
- Long Lake · 150 ac · 2.7 mi
- Ely Lake · 723 ac · 3.8 mi
- Deep Lake · 73 ac · 5.2 mi
- Gilbert Pit · 243 ac · 6 mi
- Elliot Lake · 373 ac · 6.1 mi
- Lost Lake · 124 ac · 6.5 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Pleasant Lake?
Pleasant Lake reaches 33 ft at its deepest point; about 46% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Pleasant Lake?
Pleasant Lake covers 335 acres with about 5.8 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Pleasant Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Pleasant Lake average 11.5 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Pleasant Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2021) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Pleasant Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Pleasant Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Pleasant Lake have a public access?
Yes. Pleasant Lake has one public access site: Pleasant Lake (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in Pleasant Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 18"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.
When was Pleasant Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Pleasant Lake in 2021, the most recent of 7 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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