Grace

Grace Lake is a 860-acre, highly developed natural lake located in southern Beltrami County, approximately 8 miles southeast of Bemidji, MN. Grace has an average water clarity of 7 feet and a maximum depth of 42 feet. There is a DNR-owned public access northwest side of the lake, and a 4-acre Aquatic Management Area (AMA) on the southwestern shore of the lake. Grace Lake is primary managed for Walleye, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch. A standard survey was completed on Grace Lake in 2025 to assess the fish community. Gamefish species targeted by anglers in this lake include Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Yellow Perch. Walleye lengths ranged from 10 to 28 inches and averaged around 18 inches. Walleye abundance decreased from 2020, was below the lake's historical average, but still within the typical range for lakes with similar morphological characteristics. The Walleye population is sustained through annual fingerling stockings. Walleye yearlings and/or adults have also been stocked if fingerlings were unavailable. A total of 13 year classes were captured and ages ranged from 3 to 17 years old. Northern Pike abundance increased from the 2020 survey, was above average for the lake, and above the typical range for similar lakes in Minnesota. Northern Pike lengths ranged from 14 to 34 inches and averaged 20 inches. Twenty-six percent of the Northern Pike captured in gill nets were larger than 22 inches and 11% were within the north-central zone regulation's protected slot of 22-26 inches. Bluegill abundance decreased but was within the normal range for this lake type. High numbers of Bluegill were captured by gill nets, indicating fish were using deeper habitats during the survey. Bluegill lengths averaged 6 inches, with a few Bluegill over 9 inches captured. Bluegill growth was slow with fish averaging 5 inches at 4 years old. 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 abundance was similar to the historical average for the lake and the survey in 2020. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 5 to 12 inches and averaged 9 inches. Growth rates were average compared to similar lakes in the area, and ages ranged from 2 to 7 years old. Largemouth Bass abundance has increased in the last couple surveys and was above average compated to the typical range for similar lakes in Minnesota. Largemouth Bass total length averaged 11 inches and ranged from 5 to 20 inches. Ages ranged from 2 to 9 years old. Yellow Perch are considered important forage species for large predators like Walleye, Northern Pike, and Largemouth Bass. Yellow Perch abundance was below average and lengths ranged from 5 to 10 inches. Other species sampled during the survey included Brown Bullhead, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Grace Lake is infested with Curly-leaf Pondweed, 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.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Grace Lake was conducted on July 11th, 2022 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all fourteen sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample twelve stations, a 15-foot seine was used at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured 14 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass) and zero that are tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted during the week of July 11th, 2022 by IBI Program Staff. Twelve trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill comprised a majority of the trap net catch by both number (77%) and biomass (60%). Compared to similar Lake Class 27 lakes, the numbers and of Bluegill, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass sampled per net were near or above the 75% quartile. The nearshore data and trap net data were combined with gill net data from an August 2020 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. The FIBI score from this survey was higher than previous surveys completed during the previous lake assessment. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River-Headwaters Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Grace Lake is an 860-acre lake, located in Hubbard County and 10 miles southeast of Bemidji, MN. A targeted survey was completed on Grace Lake by Bemidji Area Fisheries staff during August of 2020 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. All the sites were sampled with a seine and backpack electrofishing. A total of 15 species of fish were sampled, which included four species (Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass) that are intolerant to disturbance or poor water quality. Nearshore fish community data was analyzed with information collected from standard survey completed in 2020 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) score to measure the biological condition and overall health of Grace Lake. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat (e.g. Blackchin Shiner, Least Darter, 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). According to the survey, Grace Lake is in good 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.

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

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

Grace has a maximum depth of 42 feet and a mean depth of 17 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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