Detroit Lake

Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03038100

DNR records show 36 stocking entries at Detroit Lake since 2016, most recently muskellunge fingerlings in 2025 (2,072 fish).

• Detroit Lake has 36 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (25), muskellunge (7), lake sturgeon (4).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 220,176 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 89 ft, mean depth 15 ft; surface area 3,067 acres, 1,895 littoral acres, 12.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.9 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 7 more.
• 4 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: April 23, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Becker County, nearest town Detroit Lakes; DNR lake number (DOW) 03038100.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/11/1966 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking. ⁸ fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

This assessment was conducted using large-frame trap nets set in spring to examine the sizes of mature Muskellunge in Detroit Lake. Muskellunge were first introduced into the lake in 1989, with directed Muskellunge surveys beginning on Detroit Lake in 1993. Sixteen surveys had been conducted prior to 2025. This assessment represents the third consecutive year of muskellunge sampling on Detroit Lake. This effort consisted of marking fish in year 2 (2024) using large-frame trap nets, followed by recapturing fish in year 3 (2025) again with large-frame trap nets. All Muskellunge sampled in Detroit Lake since 2019 have been marked with PIT tags. Large frame trap nets captured 122 individual Muskellunge, for a catch rate of 0.71 fish per net. Thirty-six female and 86 male Muskellunge were captured. Muskellunge averaged 43.0 inches and ranged 33.7 to 54.8 inches in 2025. Female Muskellunge averaged 47.0 inches. Mean weight of all Muskellunge was 19.3 pounds. Data from 2024 and 2025 were used to estimate the number of adult Muskellunge in Detroit Lake in 2024. The number of adult Muskellunge was estimated to be 402 individuals, or 0.13 fish per surface acre. The last time this kind of estimate was completed on Detroit Lake was in 2023. Remarkably, the density estimate calculated then was also 0.13 fish per surface acre. These estimates are within the range of other Minnesota waters where similar surveys have been conducted, and will be used to guide future management decisions in Detroit Lake.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, April 23, 2025.

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