Bean

Bean Lake is a 32-acre designated trout lake located entirely within Tettegouche State Park. It is stocked with 2,000 Splake fingerlings in the fall of odd numbered years and 1,000 Rainbow Trout yearlings each spring. There is an access with a concrete log ramp at the end of a rocky spur of the Red Dot ATV trail suitable for small boats and canoes. Anglers can also use a spur trail from the Superior Hiking Trail to access the lake on foot. Additionally, there is a short portage trail on the northeast shore that is the primary access to Bear Lake, another designated trout lake. A survey was completed in fall 2024 to evaluate trout stocking. Splake were sampled in good numbers although there were few large fish. Fish ranged from 6 to 16 inches long but similar to past surveys of the lake, few fish longer than 14 inches were sampled. Splake can survive in the lake from year to year as fish from the last two stockings were captured. Few Rainbow Trout were sampled in gill nets; however, a large number were sampled in the trap nets. The average length of the Rainbow Trout sampled was approximately 11.5 inches with the longest fish measuring only 13 inches. The narrow range of lengths indicates that all fish sampled likely came from the spring 2024 stocking. Similar to historic surveys of Bean Lake, White Suckers were sampled in high numbers in 2024. Despite the large numbers of suckers, Bean Lake still supports stream trout management. Survey results indicate the lake should provide anglers with good fishing opportunities for Splake and Rainbow Trout in the coming years.

Bean Lake is a designated stream trout lake located 1.5 miles northwest of Silver Bay and is within Tettegouche State Park. The lake has a carry-in access on the southwest end and can be accessed from the Red Dot ATV/Snowmobile trail. Unregulated brush clearing and illegal ATV use has resulted in significant shoreline erosion near the access and damage to the lake outlet structure. Expensive repairs will be required. There is also a 0.16 mile portage trail connecting the northeast end of Bean Lake to Bear Lake. Bean Lake is managed for Splake and Rainbow Trout with fingerling Splake stocked in the fall of odd numbered years and yearling Rainbow Trout stocked each spring. There is no natural reproduction in Bean Lake of Splake or Rainbow Trout so populations are dependent upon stocking. Due to a short term Splake shortage in the hatchery system in 2017, Rainbow Trout were stocked instead of Splake in the fall of 2017, which impacted the results of this survey. A lake survey was conducted the week of October 7 2019 to assess the current state of the trout populations. Splake catch was low for the lake with a single Splake sampled in gill nets. The fish sampled was 17 inches long and weighed 1.75 pounds. Three fingerling Splake that had been stocked the week before the survey were also sampled in a trap net. The low catch is likely due to the lack of fish stocked in 2017 and Splake catches may be down until the fish stocked in fall of 2019 grow to catchable sizes. The management plan calls for continued stocking of Splake into the future and hopefully next survey will see numbers increase. Catch of Rainbow Trout was average for the lake. The fish sampled in gill nets had an average length of 12.5 inches. All but one of the Rainbow Trout in the sample were stocked in spring of 2019 as yearlings and the remaining fish was either stocked in fall of 2017 as a fingerlings or spring of 2018 as a yearling. The number of White Sucker sampled in 2019 was once again well above average for the lake class. Past assessments revealed similar results of very high numbers with small average size. The high numbers of White Suckers in Bean Lake likely compete with trout and affect the growth potential for trout in this lake. Iowa Darter, Brook Stickleback, Fathead Minnow, Finescale Dace, and Northern Pearl Dace were also sampled during the survey. Bean Lake gets a high amount of use due to its close proximity to Silver Bay, both summer and winter. Because of a good ATV/snowmobile trail that leads to the lake, many locals ride out to the lake fishing, picnicking or just sightseeing. It is highly regarded for its natural beauty and is a destination for people using the Superior Hiking Trail.

Bean Lake is a designated stream trout lake that is stocked with yearling Rainbow Trout annually and fingerling Splake in odd numbered years. A survey was completed in 2019 to monitor the amount of cool, well oxygenated habitat (oxythermal habitat) available for trout during the summer. Automated temperature loggers were suspended at depths of five, ten, fifteen, and eighteen feet below the surface at the deepest spot in the lake to record hourly water temperatures throughout the summer. In addition, temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles were collected on several occasions to determine how deep well oxygenated water occurred. Survey results indicate summer dissolved oxygen concentrations and water temperatures were not limiting factors in Bean Lake in 2019. Similar surveys completed in recent years suggest the lake currently maintains good habitat for stream trout throughout the open water season. Oxythermal habitat conditions will continue to be monitored to evaluate the suitability of Bean Lake for stream trout management.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Splake, Rainbow Trout, and Smallmouth Bass in Bean. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Bean has a maximum depth of 26 feet and a mean depth of 12 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Bean is from 2024.

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