Butterfield Lake (Watonwan County)
Watonwan County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 83005600
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Butterfield Lake (Watonwan County) since 2016, most recently northern pike fingerlings in 2025 (160 fish).
- Butterfield Lake (Watonwan County) has 11 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): northern pike (3), bluegill sunfish (3), walleye (2), black crappie (2), and 1 more species.
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 540,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 10 ft; surface area 54 acres, 54 littoral acres, 1.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Watonwan County, nearest town Butterfield; DNR lake number (DOW) 83005600.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 160 | 40.0 |
| 2024 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 180 | 15.0 |
| 2024 | Largemouth Bass | fingerlings | 100 | 25.0 |
| 2024 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 20 | 12.0 |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 270 | 30.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 270,000 | 2.5 |
| 2021 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 238 | 56.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 270,000 | 2.2 |
| 2017 | Black Crappie | adults | 129 | 43.0 |
| 2017 | Northern Pike | adults | 50 | 62.5 |
| 2016 | Black Crappie | adults | 105 | 35.0 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| O | city | - CITY OWNED ACCESS ON THE NORTH END OF THE LAKE. |
DNR fish survey, 1992
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 282.67 | 1,696 | 0.14 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 122.50 | 735 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 47.00 | 282 | 0.21 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | Standard trap nets | 17.00 | 102 | 0.03 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 13.00 | 78 | 0.12 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 5.00 | 30 | 0.14 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 4.67 | 28 | 0.09 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.06 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 153.00 | 153 | 0.09 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 55.00 | 55 | 0.38 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 27.00 | 27 | 0.18 |
| Green sunfish | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 9 | 0.18 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 9 | 0.03 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 7 | 0.23 |
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.
THE BLC POPULATION IS DOMINATED BY AGE 1 FISH (83% OF THE POPULATION). TRAPNET CATCH INDICES FOR BLC ARE ABOVE THE UPPER END OF THE NORMAL RANGE INDICATING A HIGH POPULATION FOR LAKE CLASS 44. THE LAKE WAS ALMOST DRY DURING THE WINTER OF 1989-90. THE BLC POPULATION MAY HAVE BEEN STOCKED BY AREA ANGLERS IN 1990 OR MIGRATED UP ST. JAMES CREEK IN THE SPRING OF 1990. THREE YEAR CLASSES OF YEP WERE OBSERVED DURING THE SURVEY. UNKNOWN AGE ADULT YEP WERE STOCKED IN THE SPRING PRIOR TO THE SURVEY THEREFORE IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER THE YEP OBSERVED DURING THE SURVEY WERE FROM THE STOCKING OR IF THEY WERE PRESENT NATURALLY. TRAPNET CATCH INDICES FOR CARP WERE ALMOST 150 TIMES THE UPPER END OF THE NORMAL RANGE FOR THIS LAKE CLASS INDICATING A VERY HIGH POPULATION. A MAJORITY OF THE CARP WERE 4.0-7.0 INCHES AND ONLY 9 CARP WERE 17 INCHES OR LONGER. TRAPNET CATCH INDICES FOR BLB WERE ALMOST 8 TIMES THE UPPER END OF THE NORMAL RANGE FOR THIS LAKE CLASS. SHORELINE SEINING DATA INDICATED YEP AND OSS SPAWNED SUCCESSFULLY. BECAUSE OF THE FREQUENCY OF WINTERKILL, NOP AND YEP SHOULD BE THE PRIMARY SPECIES MANAGED FOR. IF NETTING IN THE SPRING INDICATES A MODERATE TO SEVERE WINTERKILL, YEP AND NOP SHOULD BE STOCKED.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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