Badger Lake
Polk County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 60021400
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Badger Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (260,000 fish).
- Badger Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9), bluegill sunfish (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,404,983 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 19 ft; surface area 256 acres, 255 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, bluegill, common carp, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Polk County, nearest town Erskine; DNR lake number (DOW) 60021400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/11/1993 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.5 |
| 2024 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 100 | 25.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 259,983 | 2.4 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.1 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.3 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.1 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.3 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 325,000 | 2.8 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.2 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | county | Access can be obtained off Polk County 208. Access is muddy and can be difficult to use. - Parking is limited to the roadside. This access no longer used. New access on west shore. |
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | Located on west shore off US 2. |
DNR fish survey, 2016
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 60.00 | 120 | 0.01 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 12.00 | 24 | 2.09 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 7 | 0.20 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 0.87 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 0.75 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.14 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 15.67 | 141 | 0.13 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 12.11 | 109 | 0.08 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.45 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.23 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.06 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 3.37 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 9.32 |
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.
Badger Lake is a marginal fish lake on the northern edge of Erskine, MN. The lake has a history of winter kills and abundant populations of Northern Pike and Black Bullhead. Following winterkills, the lake re-populates with Northern Pike and other fish species by immigration via County Ditch 73 or other channels. Pump and baffle aeration, begun in 1990, was discontinued in 2006 due to the lack of access to locations with good lake depth and electrical power. Since then, the City of Erskine annually operates two surface agitator units in Badger Lake, reducing the potential for winterkill. The City incurs all costs associated with the operation. DNR Fisheries crews monitor dissolved oxygen occasionally (usually in late winter) to evaluate the likelyhood of winterkill. Although bullheads remained present in 2016, net catches have certainly declined in the past decade. Northern Pike abundance in 2016 was similar to the 2010 survey at 12 pike per gill net. The average size of Northern Pike was up slightly from the 2010 survey and above the historical average. Pike averaged 2.1 pounds, with the largest Northern Pike sampled being 29.3 inches. Bluegill numbers in Badger Lake have increased to a historic high in 2016. Although the average size of 5.1 inches was at an all time low, the largest Bluegill sampled was 9.5 inches. Walleye numbers have historically been low in Badger Lake and sustained by fry stocking. Three Walleye were sampled in 2016 which is a historic high. Yellow Perch numbers remained at the long term average of 3.5 fish per net and had an average size of 7 inches.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.