Kinney

Kinney Mine Pit has a long history of stream trout management and is popular with anglers. Yearling Rainbow Trout were cooperatively stocked biannually in the spring and fall by a private vendor which has been contracted by Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Anecdotal reports suggest these stockings have traditionally provided a popular fishery, but netting indicated fish over 15 inches were seldom sampled. The 2024 survey found Rainbow Trout at the same abundance as 2018. The catch was considered low, but catches should be viewed cautiously due to the difficulty of netting mine pits (depth, steep shoreline, pelagic nature, etc.). Lengths of the trout were 13 inches and originated from the May stocking. Rainbow Smelt are an exotic species and have been documented in the pit. Small-mesh gill nets were added to the survey to better assess smelt. Only a few have been sampled since 2010. None were sampled in 2024. Yellow Perch were sampled at an exceptionally high rate of 214.0/gill net. The catch was nearly 50 times higher than the previous high. Lengths ranged from 5.9 to 9.3 inches with an average length of 7.1 inches. The one small-mesh gill net sampled 1,027 perch, noticeably more than 2010 (n=557) and 2018 (n=16). Lengths ranged from 3.1 to 7.5 inches with an average length of 4.6 inches in 2024. White Sucker were numerous, over five times of what would be expected for mine pits and previous surveys. Lengths ranged from 6.7 to 17.3 inches with an average length of 11.1 inches, and comparable to the previous survey. Other species sampled included Common Shiner, Creek Chub and Green Sunfish. The robust Yellow Perch and White Sucker populations, as well as the likelihood of Green Sunfish increasing, will make successful trout management more challenging.

The pit has a long history of stream trout management, primarily focusing on Rainbow Trout in recent years. The goal was to maintain a stream trout fishery with 20% of sampled trout exceeding 15 inches. Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board has contracted with a private vendor to stock yearling Rainbow Trout annually in spring and fall. The 2010 management plan was amended in 2017 to program Splake stocking in alternate years beginning in 2019. This survey was one of many that monitored stream trout stocking. Mine pits are difficult to net due to the steep shoreline with rocky outcroppings. Consequently, catch rates are typically low and should be viewed cautiously. Rainbow Trout have been the only species stocked since the last survey. Trout were last stocked in the spring of 2018. Gill nets caught seven trout, the lowest catch observed. However, the highest catches immediately followed fall stockings. Lengths were within a narrow range, from 12.1 to 15.0 inches, and likely from the spring stocking. Size structure was similar to the previous survey, where only one fish larger than 16 inches was sampled. The lack of larger fish suggests limited survival or high angler harvest. Rainbow Smelt were first recorded in the previous survey (2010) in which one was caught. While not typically observed in standard gill nets, one smelt with a length of 4.5 inches was caught. Two small mesh gill nets were set specifically for Rainbow Smelt. No smelt were caught. The Yellow Perch catch was similar to lakes of comparable habitat, but down slightly from the previous survey (3.5/net). Range of lengths were narrow, from 6.1 to 7.1 inches. The small mesh gill net perch catch was abundant in the previous survey (557/net), while significantly less in 2018. Lengths ranged from 3.2 to 4.5 inches. White Sucker were the most numerous fish in the gill net catch, above what would be expected from a mine pit. Lengths ranged from 7.2 to 17.3 inches with an average length of 12.6 inches. Natural reproduction was evident based on the broad range of lengths observed. Creek Chubs were abundant in the wire minnow traps, while very few Yellow Perch and Green Sunfish were observed. One 28 inch Walleye was the only other species caught.

Kinney Pit is a 51-acre mine pit in the town of Kinney, MN. There is a small city-owned park on the northwest shore with a concrete ramp. An adjacent mine pit is dewatering into Kinney pit through an inlet on the northeast shore. The water level is elevated approximately 1 ft due to beaver dams on the outlet. Like most mine pits, the walls are steep reducing littoral area. The pit is currently stocked with yearling rainbow trout twice a year by IRRRB. In 2010, 400 lbs each were stocked in May and October. Four gill nets sampled 20 rainbow trout for a catch rate of 5.0/net. Size structure was good with fish ranging from 13 to 18 inches. Catch rates in two previous assessments were higher at 9.7 and 12.0/net. Catch rates were higher in past assessments because sampling occurred one month after stocking, whereas sampling occurred before stocking in this assessment. Other species sampled in gill nets include northern pike, white sucker and yellow perch. An angler called our office in the winter of 2009 to report catching a ruffe in Kinney Pit. Ruffe are a small exotic fish common in Lake Superior. A small-mesh gill net was set in 2010 to confirm the presence of ruffe. No ruffe were sampled, however a single smelt and over 500 yellow perch were sampled. This was the first record of smelt in this pit. Four half-inch trap nets were set for 12 net nights targeting near shore rainbow trout. No trout were sampled; however, common shiner and yellow perch were abundant. The survey crew spoke with a City of Kinney employee who maintains the park and boat access. He mentioned that the park is popular in the spring and winter with anglers and that people often catch trout.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Rainbow Trout, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Walleye, and Black Crappie in Kinney. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Kinney has a maximum depth of 160 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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