Calhoun Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 34006200
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Calhoun Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2019 (1,698 fish).
- Calhoun Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2017-2019): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 12,911 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 13 ft; surface area 647 acres, 647 littoral acres, 4.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 3 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Kandiyohi County, nearest town Spicer; DNR lake number (DOW) 34006200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/4/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,698 | 183.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | adults | 722 | 487.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 10,408 | 612.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 71 | 51.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 12 | 1.5 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 | South side of lake, west of outlet. - One boat ramp and one dock. Large gravel parking area. Shore fishing spots below the two dams. |
| RW | TOW | North side of the lake. Drive on winter access off township road. - Access via the township road right-away. |
| RW | TOW | South side of lake, east of outlet. End of township road. No parking. - Carry-in access or potential winter access if snow accumulation minimal. No parking available. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 28.33 | 85 | 0.53 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 19.67 | 59 | 0.77 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 13.33 | 40 | 1.73 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 11.67 | 35 | 1.14 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 10.67 | 32 | 0.16 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 16 | 0.21 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 15 | 0.30 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 6 | 0.29 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 23.89 | 215 | 0.14 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 12.89 | 116 | 0.10 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.78 | 25 | 0.69 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 2.44 | 22 | 0.68 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.24 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.26 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.30 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 3.55 |
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.
A standard survey of Calhoun Lake was conducted during early July of 2023. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e. spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e. standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e. lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). A spring electrofishing survey for Largemouth Bass was not conducted in 2023 due to time constraints. Calhoun is a moderately sized (618 acers) And moderately productive lake located in Kandiyohi County. The maximum depth is 13 feet. Residential development (51 homes/cabins-2008 resurvey) has occurred primarily along the north and east shoreline areas. The immediate watershed is composed of agricultural row crop drainage into the lake occurs via several inlets/tiles/ditches located along the north, east, and west shore areas. The Middle Fork Crow River enters Calhoun along the southwest corner. Calhoun is connected to Green Lake via a bypass channel of the Middle Fork Crow River and the Green Lake outlet marsh. A dam is located at the outlet on the south shore near the public access. Another dam is on the Middle Fork Crow River downstream of the bypass channel that flows into Calhoun. Water levels were slightly below normal during 2023. A DNR public access is located along the south shore. A township winter access is located on the south shore east of the outlet dam. Early ice out (early-mid march) occurred on area lakes in 2023. Dissolved oxygen was above 9.0 ppm throughout the water column during the 2023 survey. Water nutrient (total phosphorus=0.022 mg/l) results were good during July 23, 2023 (MNPCA). Water clarity (Secchi= 7 feet) was moderate on July 5, 2023. Large emergent vegetation (bulrush, cattails) stands are present along the west and south portions of the lake. Submergent vegetation species are varied and dense (northern milfoil, muskgrass, filamentous algae, water moss, various pondweed species) in Calhoun. Eurasian watermilfoil was first noted in scattered low densities of Calhoun, especially near the Middle Fork Crow River Inlet area, during 2010. Eurasian watermilfoil has been present upstream in nearby Green Lake since 2000. Zebra Mussels were first found upstream if Green Lake in the 2014 fall and are also now present in Calhoun. Shoal water substrates consist mostly of sand, silt, and…
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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