Mary

Mary Lake is a 56-acre lake with a maximum depth of 41 feet located within Itasca State Park on the border of Clearwater and Hubbard Counties. A State Park daily or annual vehicle permit is required. There is a public water access with a concrete ramp and parking for two vehicles/trailers. Mary is an ideal lake to explore from a canoe or kayak with boats available for rent from the park. Special fishing regulations in effect on Mary Lake consist of a reduced 5-fish bag limit for both Black Crappie and sunfish species, and a 14 to 20-inch protected slot limit regulation for Largemouth Bass with one allowed over 20 inches. Statewide fishing regulations apply to all other species in Mary Lake. The lake is managed for Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie. Bluegill were targeted in an early June survey catching 190 fish over three days. Lengths of captured fish reached 9.7 inches and averaged 5.5 inches. Ten percent of fish measured exceeded 8 inches in length. Largemouth Bass were also targeted early in the spring via night electrofishing and captured 112 in less than 45 minutes of effort. Lengths of those fish reached nearly 18 inches but averaged less than 10 inches. Although not specifically targeted, Black Crappie were captured most effectively in the spring traps nets. Lengths up to 12.8 inches were measured with 65% of the catch exceeding 10 inches. Northern Pike are abundant in Mary Lake. The 2025 catch rate of 10 fish per net was the highest in recent history. Northern Pike had an average size of 19 inches in length and over 1.5 lbs/fish with fish up to nearly 29 inches captured in the survey. Other species of fish captured in the 2025 survey were Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.

Mary Lake is a 54-acre lake with a maximum depth of 41 feet located within Itasca State Park in southern Clearwater County. A State Park daily or annual vehicle permit is required. There is a public water access with concrete ramp and parking for two vehicles/trailers. Mary is an ideal lake to explore from a canoe or kayak with boats available for rent from the State Park. Special fishing regulations in effect on Mary Lake consist of a reduced 5-fish bag limit for both Black Crappie and sunfish species, and a 14 to 20-inch protected slot limit regulation for Largemouth Bass. Statewide fishing regulations apply to all other species in Mary Lake. The lake is managed for Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. Northern Pike are abundant in Mary Lake. The 2020 catch rate of 8.67 fish per net was at the upper end of the range found in similar lakes. Northern Pike had an average size of 21 inches in length with fish up to 33 inches captured in the survey. Bluegill, Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass are not captured effectively in summer surveys of Mary Lake; however, decent populations of these species are present. Bluegill from 8 to 9 inches in length as well as Largemouth bass up to 17 inches in length were captured in this survey. Habitat for these species is excellent in Mary Lake with numerous fallen trees and prominent aquatic vegetation around much of the shoreline. Other species of fish captured in the 2020 survey were White Sucker, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Walleye and Yellow Perch.

Mary Lake is a 56-acre lake with a maximum depth of 41 feet located within Itasca State Park in southern Clearwater County. A State Park daily or annual vehicle permit is required. There is a public water access with concrete ramp and parking for two vehicles/trailers. Mary is one of four lakes located within the park that were selected for the implementation of special fishing regulations in 2006. Special fishing regulations on Mary Lake consist of a reduced 5-fish bag limit for both Black Crappie and sunfish species, and a catch and release only regulation for Largemouth Bass. Statewide fishing regulations apply to all other species in Mary Lake. The lake is managed for Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical characteristics and the fish community present. Mary Lake is in lake class 28. The following discussion makes comparisons between Mary Lake and other class 28 lakes in the state. Other Bemidji area lakes in this class include Walkerbrook, Lomond, and Lone Lake. The 2015 Northern Pike catch rate of 7.33/GN is within the normal range found in similar lakes. Pike captured in the survey had an average size of 21.30 inches in length and 2.27 lbs/fish, with fish up to 38.11 inches in length captured in the survey. An electrofishing assessment targeting Largemouth Bass was conducted as part of the 2015 survey. The catch rate of 82.81 bass/hour was a very high catch rate for the Bemidji area, indicating a very abundant bass population in Mary Lake. Largemouth Bass up to 18.39 inches in length were captured, with an average length of 13.30 inches. The special regulations for sunfish and Black Crappie were implemented to limit angler harvest (which had been high for a lake of this size) and provide more consistent fishing for these species from year to year. In order to better understand effects of the special regulations for Black Crappie and sunfish, a special assessment using trap nets was conducted in April 2015 as warming temperatures brought these fish into the shallows in preparation for spawning. This spring assessment supplements information from the standard summer survey, as summer trap net surveys of Black Crappie and sunfish often yield small sample sizes. Black Crappie up to 13.11 inches in length were captured, with an average size of 8.74 inches, and Bluegill up to 9.09 inches in length were captured, with an average length of 7.33 inches. The proportion of larger Black Crappie (greater than 10 inches in length) declined from the previous spring trap net survey in 2011, while the proportion of larger Bluegill (greater than 8 inches in length) increased. Anglers will have the opportunity for some quality Bluegill and Black Crappie fishing in Mary Lake. Other species of fish captured in the 2015 survey were Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, and Yellow Perch.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Hybrid Sunfish, Northern Pike, and Bluegill in Mary. 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 Mary. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Mary has a maximum depth of 41 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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