Diamond

Diamond Lake is located about five miles south of Aitkin and is part of the Ripple River chain of lakes. While there is no public access on the lake, small watercraft can navigate upstream from Hanging Kettle Lake. Downstream navigation from Ripple Lake is limited to canoes and smaller crafts during normal or higher flow conditions, due to a water control structure located between the two lakes. Anglers that venture to this small lake will find opportunities for Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike, with the possibility of catching a Walleye. Black Crappie are abundant and tend to be on the small side with few fish over 10 inches, and which is consistent with adjacent lakes. Bluegill abundance is typical of lakes with similar characteristics with some fish reaching quality size, with numbers of fish between 7 and 8.5 inches. Northern Pike are the primary predator species available to anglers. While the lake is small it has the ability to produce some big Northern Pike with fish up to 32 inches captured in our assessment. Larger Pike play an important role in regulating survival and growth of various species. Fishing pressure is low due to the limited access, which helps to preserve the size structure of Bluegill and Northern Pike populations. Anglers that fish the lake are encouraged to practice selective harvest to maintain the quality opportunities for these species.

Diamond Lake is located about five miles south of Aitkin and is part of the Ripple River chain of lakes. While there is no public access on the lake, small watercraft can navigate upstream from Hanging Kettle Lake. Downstream navigation from Ripple Lake is limited to canoes and similar crafts during normal flow conditions, due to a water control structure located between the two lakes. Anglers that venture to this small lake will find opportunities for bluegill, black crappie, and northern pike, with the possibility of catching a walleye. Black crappie are abundant and tend to be on the small side with few fish over 10", which is consistent with adjacent lakes. Bluegill abundance is typical of lakes with similar characteristics with some fish reaching quality size. Northern pike are the primary predator species available to anglers. While the lake is small it has the ability to produce some big pike with fish up to 30 inches captured in our assessment. Larger pike play an important role in regulating survival and growth of various species. Fishing pressure is low due to the limited access, which helps to preserve the size structure of bluegill and northern pike populations. Anglers that fish the lake are encouraged to practice selective harvest to maintain the quality opportunities for these species.

Diamond Lake is a relatively small lake on the lower part of the Ripple River between Hanging Kettle and Ripple lakes. Diamond Lake does not have a public access but anglers can gain access from the public access on either of those lakes. While Diamond is not a large lake it can provide some good fishing and can be a great place for family fishing on those days when the larger lakes may be a little too rough for that family outing. Anglers can find northern pike, bluegill, black crappie and an occasional walleye in Diamond Lake. While the populations of these species are about average for this lake type there are also some quality size fish to enhance the angling experience and provide for that Saturday night fish fry.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Black Crappie, and Bluegill in Diamond. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Diamond. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Diamond has a maximum depth of 26 feet and a mean depth of 11 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Diamond is from 2023.

No invasive species are on record for Diamond in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.