Lone

Lone Lake is a 69-acre, moderately developed natural lake located in central Clearwater County, approximately 5 miles north of Bagley, MN. Lone has a water clarity of 18.5 feet, a maximum depth of 70 feet, and no inlets or outlets. A small county-owned public water access is located on the northwestern shore of the lake. Lone lake is a small, regularly shaped lake with two shallow bays, and steep shorelines in the main portion of the lake. A standard survey was completed on Lone Lake in 2025 to assess the fish community. Gamefish species targeted by anglers in this lake include Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Northern Pike. Bluegill abundance increased from the last survey, was above average for the lake, but within the normal range for this lake type. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3 to 11 inches and averaged 7 inches. Bluegill growth rates in Lone are considered average. It is recommended that anglers keep smaller sunfish and release the larger fish to help improve and maintain the population's size structure. Black Crappie total lengths ranged from 4 to 11 inches and averaged 7 inches. Black Crappie abundance was near average for the lake. Black Crappie ages ranged from 3 to 13 years old, and growth was considered average when compared to other area lakes. Northern Pike abundance was similar to previous surveys. Northern Pike ranged from 15 to 32 inches and averaged 21 inches. Twenty percent of Northern Pike captured in gill nets were between 22-26 inches, which is the protected size range for the current statewide regulation in the north-central zone. Largemouth Bass total lengths averaged 9 inches and ranged from 5 to 15 inches. In 2015, a targeted bass survey indicated a fairly abundant Largemouth Bass population. In 2025, trap nets only caught eight Largemouth Bass. Trap nets are typically ineffective on steep shorelines and provide a poor indicator of bass abundance. Only six Yellow Perch were captured during the 2025 survey. No Walleye were captured during the survey. Other species sampled during the survey included hybrid sunfish and Pumpkinseed. Currently, Lone Lake is not infested with any 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.

Lone Lake is a 69-acre lake with a maximum depth of 70 feet located five miles north of the city of Bagley in Clearwater County. There is a County-owned public water access (earthen) on the northwest shore of the lake. Lone Lake is managed for Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie and Northern Pike. The lake basin contains steep shoreline drop offs and little shallow water. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical characteristics and the fish community present in the lake. Lone Lake is in lake class 28. The following discussion makes comparisons between Lone Lake and other class 28 lakes in the state. Other Bemidji area lakes in this class include Deep, Walkerbrook and Sandy (near Debs). The 2015 Bluegill catch rate of 19.89/TN was within the normal range found in similar lakes (5.69/trap net to 40.45/trap net). Bluegill captured had an average size of 6.03 inches in length and 0.20 lbs/fish, which is near the top end of the range for similar lakes (0.12 lbs to 0.24 lbs/fish)Nighttime electrofishing targeting Largemouth Bass resulted in a catch rate of 75.74 bass/hour, which is a high catch rate for the Bemidji area. Largemouth Bass up to 15.04 inches in length were captured during electrofishing, although larger bass are present, with fish up to 19.61 inches captured in gill nets. The catch rate for Black Crappie (0.44/trap net) was below the normal range found in similar lakes (0.50/trap net to 3.25/trap net). The average size of Black Crappie captured (0.20 lbs.) was near the top end of the range found in similar lakes (0.24 lbs.). Black Crappie up to 11.77 inches in length were captured in the assessment. Northern Pike numbers have remained stable in Lone Lake over the past twenty years. This is in contrast to a number of area lakes that have seen increases in numbers of Northern Pike and a decline in the proportion of larger fish in the population. The 2015 Northern Pike catch rate of 7/gill net is near the top of the normal range for similar lakes (2.75/gill net to 8.67/gill net). The average size of Northern Pike captured was 21.72 inches in length and 2.39 lbs/fish. Twenty four percent of pike captured were greater than 24 inches in length and the largest pike captured was 33.27 inches in length. Other species of fish captured in the survey were Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, and Yellow Perch.

Lone Lake is a small 69-acre lake with a maximum depth of 70 feet. It is located 2 miles north of Bagley in central Clearwater County. There is an earthen public access at the northwest corner of the lake off township road 114. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Lone Lake is in lake class 28. Typically lakes in this lake class are small, deep lakes with regular shorelines and soft water. Other Bemidji area lakes in this class include Lomond, Walkerbrook, Deep, Peterson, Pickerel, First, Second and Little Buzzle. With the exception of bullheads, all species of fish typically found in a lake class 28 fish community are found in Lone Lake. The Lone Lake fish community is dominated by northern and bluegill. Bluegill are a newcomer to Lone Lake being sampled for the first time in 1975. The most abundant member of the sunfish family in Lone Lake is bluegill. Their abundance would be on the high end of what would typically be found a class 28 lake. The quality of the bluegill fishery has changed considerably in the last 10 years. In 2006, only 4% of the bluegill sampled were greater than eight inches in length as compared to 28% in 1996. Quality-sized bluegill are disappearing from many of our lakes due to excessive harvest by anglers. To maintain some quality in our bluegill populations, anglers would have to show some voluntary restraint when bluegill are biting well. By practicing selective harvest, anglers can harvest the smaller more abundant bluegill for eating, and release more of the medium to large fish. This would help maintain balance in the population and increase the opportunity to catch large bluegill in the future. Northern pike quality has improved somewhat since 1996 assessment. The average sized pike sampled was 2.1 pounds. No previous assessment had pike average weight of greater than 1.5 pounds. Largemouth bass are difficult to sample with standard survey gear. In 2006, only seven bass were sampled that ranged from 4.8 to 13.9 inches. Specialized sampling targeting bass would need to be employed to obtain a representative sample of this important species. Only one walleye was sampled in the 2006 assessment. Despite a regular stocking schedule low numbers of walleye have been sampled in all assessments. The physical characteristics of Lone Lake may be limiting suitability as a walleye lake. Small lake size and low amounts of shallow productive habitat reduce lake's ability to produce walleye. Natural reproduction is nearly nonexistent with most walleye aged to years of stocking. Clear water and abundant northern pike increase mortality on young walleye. This problem is worsened by a lack of small perch. Perch are the primary forage specie for walleye, and can also buffer the predatory effects from northern pike. Development pressure is increasing around the shorelines and within the watershed on Minnesota lakes. This degrades water quality and impacts valuable shoreline habitat. Native shoreline vegetation provides habitat for fish and wildlife, filters harmful nutrients and protects against shoreline erosion. Lakeshore owners can minimize their impact on shoreline and maintain a more natural setting while actually decreasing annual maintenance. For more information on how to accomplish this, contact your nearest Area Fisheries office or go to the following website: www.dnr.state.mn.us/shorelandmgmt.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Bluegill, Black Crappie, Walleye, and Green Sunfish in Lone. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Lone has a maximum depth of 70 feet and a mean depth of 19 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Lone is from 2025.

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