Coal Lake
Todd County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 77004600
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Coal Lake since 2017, most recently walleye adults in 2021 (6 fish).
- Coal Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2017-2021): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,967 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 171 acres, 72 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Todd County, nearest town Browerville; DNR lake number (DOW) 77004600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/15/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 6 | 13.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 840 | 70.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,066 | 73.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 55 | 69.0 |
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 | - STATE OWNED ACCESS ON SOUTHWEST END OF LAKE |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 109.69 | 133 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 19.79 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 15.67 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 8.25 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 6.60 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 5.77 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 4.95 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | Backpack electrofishing | 3.30 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 49.11 | 442 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 1.89 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 1.89 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.89 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 0.44 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 0.11 | 1 | 0.00 |
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 survey of nearshore fish species in Coal Lake was conducted on June 28 and July 1, 2022 by Little Falls Area Fisheries Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot seine. Backpack electrofishing was performed at all stations with one site being electrofished from the boat. Seining was completed at nine of ten sampling stations. Several seine hauls consisted of lengthened hauls to increase the area sampled. Some heavily vegetated and/or soft bottom stations required shortened hauls or fixed-pole sampling. Nearshore sampling captured 14 species of fish including a single species that is intolerant of disturbance (Iowa Darter) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish, Black Bullhead). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from the June 2022 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey indicates Coal Lake is "normal" as indicated by the FIBI score of 49, above the impairment threshold (38) for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. The score from 2022 is quite similar to past scores in 2011 (46.5) and 2017 (52.1) and the species composition/assemblage showed minimal differences. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community during the Long Prairie River Watershed assessment process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
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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