Chippewa Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21014500
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Chippewa Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (826,500 fish).
- Chippewa Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,777,747 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 95 ft, mean depth 24 ft; surface area 1,186 acres, 551 littoral acres, 14.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and 7 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Douglas County, nearest town Brandon; DNR lake number (DOW) 21014500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 4/7/1947 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 826,500 | 7.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 826,500 | 7.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 826,500 | 6.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,125 | 275.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,294,122 | 12.6 |
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 | Located on northeast side off County Road # 12 |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 52.00 | 52 | 1.17 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 26.75 | 321 | 0.09 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 24 | 0.12 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.92 | 23 | 0.11 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 14 | 0.13 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 3.46 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 0.36 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 1.39 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.07 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 10.33 | 124 | 0.15 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 108 | 1.58 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 4.75 | 57 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.58 | 43 | 2.40 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 36 | 1.15 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 22 | 1.21 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 15 | 0.11 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.25 |
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.
Chippewa Lake (also commonly referred to as Big Chippewa Lake) is a 1,185 acre moderately productive basin located northeast of Brandon in Douglas County. This lake is relatively deep with a maximum depth of 95 feet. Mean depth is estimated at 24 feet. Chippewa Lake is located within the Chippewa River watershed and outflows into Devils Lake under Douglas County Road 7. Water quality conditions are excellent and exceed averages of similar Minnesota lakes. Water clarity typically exceeds 10 feet throughout summer months and has increased in recent years following zebra mussel infestation. This lake becomes thermally stratified in summer months and the thermocline is typically located between 20 and 25 feet. Chippewa Lake contains diverse aquatic habitats (islands, shallow rock bars, protected bays, and large expanses of emergent aquatic vegetation) and offers diverse fishing opportunities. Residential development surrounding the lake is considered moderate and is concentrated on the southern half of the basin along the east and west shorelines. Due to the desirable characteristics of the lake, recreational use can be heavy, particularly on weekends and holidays. A small public access with limited parking is located in the northeast corner of the lake. Boaters should be aware of multiple navigation hazards within this basin. These shallow rock areas are marked with hazard buoys. Boaters should also note that access to the series of shallow bays in the southwest corner of the lake can be difficult for larger boats, especially during periods of low water levels. These bays are connected to each other and the main basin via narrow, relatively shallow channels through stands of emergent vegetation. A standard MN DNR lake survey was completed in 2025 to assess the fish community of Chippewa Lake. Walleye abundance remained relatively high due to moderate or strong year classes produced in 2020, 2021, and 2022. These three year classes comprised 68% of the sample. Average size was 16.1 inches and 1.6 pounds. The largest Walleye collected was 24.8 inches. This population is sustained through natural reproduction, but supplemental fry stockings now occur every third year. The Northern Pike population could be described as moderate in terms of both abundance and size structure. Like many lakes in west-central Minnesota, small "hammerhandle" pike tend to dominate this population but larger pike are present. Mean size was 21.7 inches and 2.4 pounds. Multiple pike exceeding 30 inches were sampled, with the largest measuring almost 34 inches. New Northern Pike zone…
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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