Artichoke Lake
Big Stone County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 06000200
DNR records show 21 stocking entries at Artichoke Lake since 2016, most recently black crappie adults in 2024 (95 fish).
- Artichoke Lake has 21 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2024): walleye (14), black crappie (2), yellow perch (2), largemouth bass (1), and 2 more species.
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 7,025,363 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 16 ft; surface area 1,971 acres, 1,970 littoral acres, 20.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, crappie, freshwater drum, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, quillback, and 6 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Big Stone County, nearest town Correll; DNR lake number (DOW) 06000200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/28/1987 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Black Crappie | adults | 95 | 53.0 |
| 2024 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 32 | 71.1 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 1,000,000 | 8.5 |
| 2023 | SPO | adults | 15,500 | 250.0 |
| 2023 | Black Crappie | adults | 124 | 65.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 1,002,310 | 8.2 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 1,000,418 | 9.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 1,000,000 | 8.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 15,509 | 1,925.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 938 | 50.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 981 | 327.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 1,000,000 | 8.3 |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | adults | 44,375 | 1,270.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 750,000 | 6.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 250,000 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | adults | 733 | 1,145.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,002,003 | 9.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,666 | 119.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,078 | 58.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 460 | 232.0 |
| 2016 | Yellow Perch | adults | 29,784 | 2,482.0 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Concrete ramp with dock located on the west shoreline in the north part of the lake off County Rd 25. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Concrete ramp and dock; located in the southern-most bay; off County Rd 53. |
| concrete ramp | TOW | Concrete ramp and dock; located along the east shore; mid-lake; east of Snake Island; off County Rd. 24. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater drum | Fall electrofishing | 1404.00 | 702 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Fall electrofishing | 700.00 | 350 | 0.00 |
| OTM | Fall electrofishing | 400.00 | 200 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 268.00 | 134 | 0.01 |
| OTS | Fall electrofishing | 10.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | Fall electrofishing | 8.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| SUN | Fall electrofishing | 4.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| BLH | Fall electrofishing | 2.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | 1/4-in trap nets | 368.80 | 3,688 | 0.00 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | 1/4-in trap nets | 221.70 | 2,217 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | 1/4-in trap nets | 22.70 | 227 | 0.00 |
| Freshwater drum | 1/4-in trap nets | 20.10 | 201 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 1/4-in trap nets | 6.60 | 66 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 1/4-in trap nets | 1.10 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Common carp | 1/4-in trap nets | 1.10 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 1/4-in trap nets | 1.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 137.00 | 274 | 0.52 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 55.50 | 111 | 0.05 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 40.50 | 81 | 0.21 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 12.50 | 25 | 0.25 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 8.50 | 17 | 0.58 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 6.50 | 13 | 0.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 10 | 1.91 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 7 | 2.28 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Artichoke Lake is in western Minnesota approximately 14 miles northwest of Appleton. It is a highly productive prairie lake with a maximum depth of 15 feet and a surface area of 1,964 acres. Artichoke has several shallow rocky reefs and points that are not marked so anglers should study a contour map carefully before boating. An aeration system located near the "narrows" is frequently operated during winter and it creates a substantial area of open water. Artichoke's fishery is managed primarily for walleyes, black crappies, largemouth bass and northern pike. Artichoke experienced a severe fish die-off during the winter of 2022-2023 due to the natural occurrence of low oxygen. Most game fish died and needed to be restocked. Save-A-Lake aeration operates an aeration system when necessary to reduce the chance of winterkill. However, during severe winters aeration doesn't always work. This was the case in 2022-23 when a rapid oxygen crash "overpowered" the ability of aeration to replenish oxygen and a severe winterkill occurred. The lake was restocked with walleye fry, and broodstock largemouth bass, black crappies and spottail shiners. Annual fall surveys are conducted to collect fish population data using gill nets, trap nets and nighttime electrofishing. Walleyes were abundant during the 2025 survey and most were 12-14 inches. A strong 2025-year class of 7-8-inch walleyes was present as well, which should provide good fishing in the future. Species historically common to Artichoke Lake are increasing in number. Black crappies were moderately abundant and ranged from 4-8 inches. Freshwater drum were abundant and the majority were 4-6 inches. Some northern pike were also caught with the largest measuring 26 inches. High numbers of young-of-year largemouth bass were present along with a moderate number of young adults. Fathead minnows were abundant and being fed heavily on by the game fish. Once the minnow numbers have been reduced by predation, anglers can expect some good fishing, especially for walleyes.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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