Irving

Lake Irving is a 661-acre, heavily developed natural lake located in southern Beltrami County, within the city of Bemidji, and on the Mississippi River. Irving has an average water clarity of 2 feet and a maximum depth of 19 feet. Lake Irving has an inlet via the Mississippi River located on the southern shore and an outlet located on the northern shore, connecting to Lake Bemidji. A public access is located near the outlet on the north shore, adjacent to the Bemidji wastewater treatment facility. Boaters can access the lake from Lake Bemidji via the Mississippi River, but should use cation while navigating the river channel due to current bridge structures and old railroad pilings. A standard survey was completed on Lake Irving in 2022 to assess the fish community. Gamefish species targeted by anglers in this lake include Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Muskellunge, and Largemouth Bass. Walleye lengths ranged from 7 to 25 inches and averaged around 16 inches. Walleye abundance decreased from 2012, was below the lake's historical average, but still within the typical range for lakes with similar morphological characteristics. The Walleye population is likely sustained from upstream and downstream movement of fish from connected lakes and natural reproduction. A total of 11 year classes were captured, with the 2018 year class being the most abundant. Northern Pike abundance was below average for the lake but within the typical range for similar lakes in Minnesota. Northern Pike ranged from 15 to 41 inches and averaged 23 inches. Fifty-two percent of the Northern Pike captured in gill nets were larger than 22 inches. Bluegill abundance was low and within the normal range for this lake type. Bluegill lengths averaged 4 inches, with the largest being 6 inches. It is recommended that anglers keep smaller sunfish and release the larger fish to help improve and maintain the population's size structure. In addition, a few Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass were captured, which is similar to previous surveys. Yellow Perch are considered important forage species for large predators like Walleye, Northern Pike, and Largemouth Bass. Yellow Perch abundance was slightly below average and lengths ranged from 5 to 11 inches. Other species sampled during the survey included Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, hybrid sunfish, Greater Redhorse, Muskellunge, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Shorthead Redhorse, Tullibee (Cisco), White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Currently, Lake Irving is infested with Zebra Mussels, an aquatic invasive species (AIS). AIS can be transferred by anglers and boats from infested to non-infested waterbodies. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. Please follow the current AIS regulations to avoid spreading to other lakes.

Lake Irving is a 661-acre lake, located within the city of Bemidji in southern Beltrami County. A targeted survey was completed on Lake Irving by Bemidji Area Fisheries staff during July of 2022 to assess the nearshore fish community and overall health of the lake. In this survey, 14 nearshore sites (100-foot) were evenly spaced along the lakeshore to sample a variety of aquatic habitat types and collect a representative sample of the nearshore fish community. Depending on the habitat conditions at each site, backpack electrofishing and shoreline seining were attempted where possible. A total of 11 sites were sampled with a seine, while backpack electrofishing was completed at 13 sites. A total of 28 species were sampled, which included 8 species that are intolerant to disturbance or poor water quality Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Burbot, Iowa Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, and Rock Bass. Nearshore fish community data was analyzed with information collected from the standard survey in 2022 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score to measure the biological condition and overall health of Lake Irving. In Minnesota, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat (e.g. Blacknose Shiner, Mimic Shiner, Tullibee (cisco), and Mottled Sculpin), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). The combination of fish species present may identify stressors negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score is composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics to indicate the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on FIBI search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (www.mndnr.gov). Results of this survey indicate Lake Irving is in great health with a FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. In coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River (Headwaters) Watershed assessment.

Lake Irving is a natural lake on the Mississippi River system located within the city of Bemidji in southern Beltrami County. There is a considerable amount of lakeshore development due to the immediacy of the downtown area and numerous lake homes. There is a public water access located on the north end of the lake adjacent to the city's wastewater treatment facility. The lake is easily accessible from Lake Bemidji via a short trip up the Mississippi River, although boaters should navigate with caution in the area of the river channel and outlet of Lake Irving due to old railroad pilings that are still present. The lake's direct connectivity with Lake Bemidji and the river system is beneficial to fish populations due to seasonal movements of species such as walleye and northern pike. Lake Irving has a maximum depth of 19 feet and is known as a good early season lake in both the open and hard-water fishing seasons. Lake Irving's walleye population is sustained primarily through natural reproduction and migration which both occur throughout the Mississippi Headwaters system. The 2012 population assessment documented a healthy walleye population in Lake Irving (similar to Lake Bemidji) with a catch rate of 14.56 fish/gill net, which is well above the statewide normal range for class 39 lakes. Average length and weight of the 2012 walleye sample was 13.8 inches and 0.95 pounds, with a good proportion of "eater" size walleye from 12 to 16 inches in length. An abundance of young walleye from age-1 through age-3 indicates successful reproduction and good potential for walleye fishing in the near term. Black crappie and bluegill inhabit Lake Irving in low numbers with some quality-size individuals present in the population. The black crappie catch rate of 1.0 fish/trap net is just within the normal range for lake class. Black crappie up to 14.2 inches in length were captured in 2012, with a good representation of younger fish in the sample indicating recent reproduction. Bluegill, which were sampled in very low numbers in previous assessments, appear to be expanding their population in Lake Irving. The 2012 catch rate of 12.38 fish/trap net is up from 0.67 fish/trap net in 2001 and is now within the normal range for lake class. Bluegill up to 9.5 inches in length were captured in 2012. Northern pike were sampled at 6.44 fish/gill net, which is within the normal range for lake class. Average length and weight of the northern pike sample was 20.8 inches and 1.9 pounds. There has been a decline in the proportion of northern pike greater than 30 inches in length, which is occurring on many lakes in the area. Anglers can help reverse this trend by releasing northern pike over 24 inches in length and keeping smaller pike for table fare. Other species present in the 2012 assessment included pumpkinseed, bullhead species, redhorse species, white sucker, rock bass, yellow perch and largemouth bass.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, and Largemouth Bass in Irving. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Irving. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Irving has a maximum depth of 19 feet and a mean depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Irving is from 2022.

Yes — Irving has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.