Minnesota · Itasca County
Shoal Lake Fishing guide
Shoal Lake sits in Itasca County, Minnesota, and covers 676 acres, reaching 7 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 1 time, most recently in 1988, with yellow perch in the nets. That survey is 38 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Shoal Lake in 1988. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Yellow perch
How to fish yellow perch on Shoal Lake through the year
- Spring
- Perch are draping eggs over flooded cover and weed stems on the shallow flats.
- Early summer
- Perch are spread over sand-grass flats and the first weed edges in loose packs.
- Summer
- Perch are over deeper soft-bottom flats and the basin, on the bottom and in schools. With 98% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Perch are roaming the mid-depth flats in loose schools, chasing young-of-year bait while it is still shallow. A 7-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.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
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 1988 survey
the yellow perch is the most abundant game fish species in this lake and are of acceptable size for most anglers. The large size of captured perch indicate the lake hasn't had a severe winterkill in the past 3 to 4 years. Bullheads and white suckers are also present in fair abundance. Fatheads, golden shiners, blacknose dace, and finescale dace are very abundant in the lake as indicated by shoreline seining and visual obser- vations. The species present in this lake indicate that frequent winterkills do occur.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Shoal Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Shoal 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
- Public access: NONE
DNR bathymetry
Shoal Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Little Bass Lake · 161 ac · 1.7 mi
- Prairie Lake · 1,331 ac · 2 mi
- Bass Lake · 2,715 ac · 3.4 mi
- McKinney Lake · 106 ac · 3.7 mi
- Lind Pit · 83 ac · 3.9 mi
- Hale Lake · 130 ac · 4 mi
- Ice Lake · 39 ac · 4.3 mi
- Forest Lake · 37 ac · 4.5 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Shoal Lake?
Shoal Lake reaches 7 ft at its deepest point; about 98% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Shoal Lake?
Shoal Lake covers 676 acres with about 4.6 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Shoal Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 1988) record yellow perch.
Is Shoal Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Shoal Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Shoal Lake have a public access?
Yes. Shoal Lake has one public access site: Public access (NONE).
When was Shoal Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Shoal Lake in 1988. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
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