Carnelian Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73003800
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Carnelian Lake since 2025, most recently black crappie adults in 2025 (4,000 fish).
- Carnelian Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2025-2025): black crappie (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is black crappie: 4,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 36 ft, mean depth 14 ft; surface area 180 acres, 63 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Kimball; DNR lake number (DOW) 73003800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/6/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Black Crappie1 | adults | 4,000 | 666.7 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Located at south end of lake; on 163rd St. - Room for 4 vehicle/trailer combinations. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 13.72 | 439 | 0.57 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 3.41 | 109 | 0.30 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Special trap nets | 0.88 | 28 | 0.40 |
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 targeted Bluegill and Black Crappie assessment was conducted on Carnelian Lake from May 6-10, 2024. This assessment was conducted to update data last collected in a 2016 survey and to get an idea of the size structure of the spawning Bluegills and Black Crappie. Carnelian Lake has had special regulations restricting the harvest of sunfish since 1996. In 1996, the sunfish bag limit was reduced from 30 to 10/day. This regulation was in place until 2007 when the sunfish bag limit was further reduced to five sunfish per day. The goal of the regulation is to reduce harvest and improve the average size of sunfish and the regulation was made permanent in 2017. A total of 109 bluegills were sampled during this assessment, which is less than the 365 sampled in 2016. Bluegill ranged in length from 3.4 to 9.9 inches with an average length of 6.8 inches. Sixty-six percent of Bluegill were six inches or longer with 38% also being eight inches or longer. Recent targeted Bluegill surveys in the Sauk Rapids Area have found the % > 6 inches ranged from 34 to 81 and % > 8 inches ranged from 0 to 39. Bluegill growth rates in Lake Carnelian were slow compared to the statewide average but were similar to the average for the Sauk Rapids Area for the first six years of life. The growth rates were fast for the Sauk Rapids Area for ages 7+ and more comparable to the statewide average, taking 7 years to reach 8 inches. A total of 439 Black Crappie were sampled and ranged in length from 4.6 to 13.2 inches with an average length of 9.9 inches. Ninety-one percent of Black Crappie were eight inches or longer with 55% also being 10 inches or longer. Recent targeted panfish surveys in the Sauk Rapids Area have found the percent of Black Crappie > 8 inches ranged from 65 to 91 and % > 10 inches ranged from 35 to 64. Black Crappie growth rates were comparable to the Sauk Rapids Area average, taking 5 years to reach 10 inches. In addition to Bluegill, Hybrid Sunfish were also sampled during the assessment and their lengths ranged from 4.1 to 9.5 inches, averaging 7.3 inches long. The average replacement time for an eight-inch sunfish in the Sauk Rapids area is over 9 years. Therefore, anglers are encouraged to limit their harvest of larger Bluegill, especially the brightly colored adult males during the springtime when they are in the process of spawning and are more easily exploited by anglers. The larger male Bluegills are important to maintaining a healthy size structure because they restrict reproduction of smaller males, allowing the smaller males to put more energy into growth…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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