Barrett Lake
Grant County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 26009500
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Barrett Lake since 2017, most recently bluegill sunfish adults in 2025 (3,600 fish).
- Barrett Lake has 7 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (6), bluegill sunfish (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,115,100 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 28 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 530 acres, 422 littoral acres, 6.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid crappie, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, and 11 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Grant County, nearest town Barrett; DNR lake number (DOW) 26009500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/26/1974 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Bluegill Sunfish1 | adults | 3,600 | 360.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 422,000 | 3.9 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 5,100 | 170.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 422,000 | 3.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 422,000 | 3.9 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 422,000 | 4.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 422,000 | 3.9 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | |
| earthen ramp | city |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 24.50 | 147 | 1.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 24 | 0.63 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.83 | 23 | 2.39 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 2.83 | 17 | 1.87 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 12 | 1.75 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 12 | 0.16 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 11 | 7.07 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 5 | 1.63 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 10.00 | 10 | 1.74 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 4.75 | 38 | 0.47 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 3.88 | 31 | 0.34 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard trap nets | 2.88 | 23 | 1.65 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 9 | 0.79 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 9 | 6.49 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 9 | 1.50 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 8 | 1.19 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 8 | 0.41 |
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.
Barrett Lake is a 530-acre impoundment of the Pomme de Terre River. The earliest available records of dam construction date back to 1936. The City of Barrett developed along the west and south shorelines. Maximum depth of the lake is 28.0 feet. Average depth is estimated at 8.5 feet. Water quality measurements describe Barrett Lake as eutrophic. The Pomme de Terre River carries sediments and nutrients from an expansive, well drained, and largely cultivated watershed area extending well north into Otter Tail County. Algae blooms and suspended sediments impair water clarity during summer months. Water transparency at the time of the late-July fish survey measured 3.0 feet. Poor water clarity limits diversity and distribution of submergent plants. Primary management efforts on Barrett Lake are directed towards Walleye. Natural reproduction sustains this fishery but Walleye fry are stocked every other year to supplement the population. A fisheries survey was completed on Barrett Lake, July 31 through August 3, 2023. A combination of six gill nets and eight trap nets were used to sample the fish community. Netting was preceded by electrofishing on May 31 to gain estimates of Largemouth Bass abundance and population size structure. Walleye catch rates (24.5 fish/gill net) were high during the 2023 survey. Lengths of those Walleye ranged from 9.8-28.3 inches but averaged only 13.8 inches. Most of the Walleye in the system at the time of the survey were younger fish. Survival of young Walleye has been above average recently and multiple year classes were present from stocked and non-stocked years. Walleye fry are stocked in odd-numbered years to supplement natural reproduction, but in the last several surveys, it appears naturally produced fish may make up a majority of this population. Walleye grow fast in Barrett Lake, reaching 15 inches around age 3, so the small fish will quickly grow to harvestable sizes. Walleye fishing is expected to be very good for at least the next several years. Northern Pike abundance was moderate for Barrett Lake. Average size was 22.2 inches and the largest pike observed was 31.3 inches. Barrett Lake also supports both Black and White Crappie. Black Crappie are more common than White Crappie. Many of the Black Crappie caught in this survey were large, average length was 10.1 inches and the largest crappie was 13.4 inches. Bluegill catch rates were low, but some large fish over 9 inches were sampled. Spring electrofishing efforts caught only a few Largemouth Bass. Low water made electrofishing difficult and habitat conditions are…
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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