Dunnigan Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38066400
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Dunnigan Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (1,944 fish).
- Dunnigan Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 14,321 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 14 ft; surface area 81 acres, 81 littoral acres, 2.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Isabella; DNR lake number (DOW) 38066400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/13/1979 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,944 | 81.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,744 | 80.7 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,613 | 78.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,580 | 89.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,440 | 86.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | USF | U.S. Forest Service maintained gravel back-in access for small boats. Access ramp into lake is steep and there is little room to turn around near the lake. Parking for two vehicles on top of the hill. - Access ramp into lake is steep and there is limited room to turn around near the lake. Parking for a couple vehicles on top of the hill. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | Special electrofishing | 48.00 | 48 | 1.02 |
| Walleye | Special electrofishing | 1.00 | 1 | 0.16 |
| Smallmouth bass | Special trap nets | 2.59 | 44 | 0.57 |
| Rock bass | Special trap nets | 1.76 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Special trap nets | 1.12 | 19 | 1.72 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 0.47 | 8 | 0.05 |
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 was completed in spring of 2022 using night electrofishing and trap netting to sample the Smallmouth Bass and Walleye populations. The purpose of the survey was to determine if these two spring sampling techniques could be used to produce an accurate population estimate for either species. Night electrofishing was completed on May 17 and trap netting occurred the week of May 23, 2022. Both gears were effective at sampling a portion of the Smallmouth Bass population. Interestingly, a majority of the catch from electrofishing were bass greater than 10 inches long while most bass captured in trap nets were less than 10 inches long. A population estimate calculated from the data collected found the current Smallmouth Bass population has a density of about 4 fish longer than 10 inches per acre. Night electrofishing occurred too long after ice-out to capture spawning adult Walleye, but spring trap netting captured some adult fish. Sample size was too low to generate a population estimate. Size structure from spring trap netting was similar to standard summer sampling gear and supports the belief that the lake currently has a low density Walleye population supported by regular fingerling stocking.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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