Devils Lake (Douglas County)
Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21021300
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Devils Lake (Douglas County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (4,920 fish).
- Devils Lake (Douglas County) has 11 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (11).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 430,797 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 35 ft, mean depth 12 ft; surface area 234 acres, 164 littoral acres, 3.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Douglas County, nearest town Brandon; DNR lake number (DOW) 21021300.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,920 | 164.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 82,000 | 0.7 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,920 | 164.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 82,000 | 0.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 82,000 | 0.7 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,125 | 75.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 164,000 | 1.3 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 2,460 | 164.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,460 | 164.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,905 | 151.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,007 | 189.0 |
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 east side off Devils Lake Road NW |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 65.78 | 91 | 1.19 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 11.89 | 107 | 0.23 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.12 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 1.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.31 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.48 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.30 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.17 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 10.88 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 6.67 | 40 | 0.75 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.50 | 33 | 1.80 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 30 | 1.03 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 24 | 0.38 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 20 | 1.70 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.32 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.29 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.08 |
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.
Devils Lake is a small (234 acre), shallow basin located in northwestern Douglas County near Brandon, Minnesota. Water quality is high and aquatic vegetation is common. Water clarity was approximately 11.0 feet at the time of the July survey. One public access is located on the northern shoreline just off Devils Lake Road. Walleye catch rates (3.3/gill net) exceed the statewide average of similar lakes (2.8/gill net). Average size was 16.8 inches and 1.7 pounds. The largest Walleye was 22.6 inches. Growth rates appear moderate, allowing younger Walleye to reach desirable lengths in three to four years. Northern Pike (5.5/gill net) remain abundant in Devils Lake. Over 70% of all surveyed pike were less than 21.0 inches in length. Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of the liberalized pike harvest regulation (anglers are able to keep up to 10 pike with no more than two fish longer than 26 inches; all fish from 22-26 inches must be released). Increased harvest may improve growth rates and average size of Northern Pike. Electrofishing efforts collected 91 Largemouth Bass in 2021. Average size was good (12.5 inches), with several individuals exceeding 18.0 inches. The largest bass surpassed 20.0 inches. Bluegill are common, but average length was modest (6.5 inches). Maximum length was 9.2 inches in 2021. Growth rates of Bluegill are moderate and likely approximate similar lakes in Minnesota. Seven-year-old Bluegill averaged 7.6 inches. Similar to previous surveys, Black Crappie are present, but not highly abundant (1.2/gill net). Individuals averaged 9.3 inches, with the largest exceeding 10.5 inches. Yellow Perch are not common in Devils Lake. Other species recorded in the 2021 lake survey included Common Carp, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed and Yellow bullhead. The next lake survey is scheduled for 2027. Devils Lake is designated as infested with Zebra Mussels. Anglers are reminded to drain boats and equipment prior to moving between bodies of water to minimize the risk of transferring aquatic invasive species to other lakes.
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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