Elizabeth (Main Lake)
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 34002202
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Elizabeth (Main Lake) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (666,800 fish).
- Elizabeth (Main Lake) has 10 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,335,825 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 9 ft; surface area 1,023 acres, 1,023 littoral acres, 9.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and 7 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Kandiyohi County, nearest town Atwater; DNR lake number (DOW) 34002202.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 666,800 | 6.5 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 350,890 | 3.6 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,254 | 322.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 502,061 | 4.7 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 512,732 | 4.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 513,142 | 5.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 251,955 | 2.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 205,472 | 2.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 510,003 | 5.6 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 820,516 | 8.2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| asphalt ramp | Minnesota DNR | North side of the lake. - Large parking lot (gravel), two ramps and dock. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 18.00 | 9 | 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 fall daytime electrofishing survey was conducted on Lake Elizabeth during August 27, 2024 to evaluate young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye numbers due to fry stocking/natural reproduction. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e., standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e., lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). The 2024 fall daytime electrofishing survey was conducted at three stations for a total of 30 minutes. Water levels were high. Submergent vegetation was sparse (i.e., sago pondweed). Water clarity was poor ( Elizabeth is a large (1,023 acres), shallow (9 feet maximum depth), turbid, periodically aerated and productive lake located in Kandiyohi County. A significant winterkill of Walleye and Common Carp with a lesser degree of Northern Pike and Yellow Perch occurred during the 2022-23 winter. Many of the dead fish were observed in the access bay adjacent to the Ella Outlet. The surface aerators were run the entire 2022-23 winter (Northeast side of Elizabeth), but the fish kill occurred primarily on the northwest side of the lake. Lake Ella also experienced a significant winterkill of Walleye and Common Carp. The Elizabeth ice out trapnetting catch (9 single frame sets during late April of 2023) consisted of numerous adult Northern Pike and Black Bullhead in addition to low numbers of adult Common Carp, Walleye and Black Crappie. Poor conditions such as high snowfall, long winter duration, low water and high aquatic vegetation contributed to the winterkill severity in many local lakes during the 2022-23 winter. The aeration system did provide a refuge for some gamefish to survive in Elizabeth. A moderate size Cormorant rookery is located on one of the smaller islands. Walleye natural reproduction in Elizabeth is sporadic during most years based on previous surveys. Although, adequate windswept shoal water substrates for good Walleye spawning habitat are present in Elizabeth. Walleye egg take had periodically occurred on Elizabeth for statewide quotas from 2011-2022. Elizabeth contributed 30+ quarts of Walleye eggs in 2014 and 2018-2022. The highest amount of Walleye eggs taken was in 2021 (160 quarts). Walleye fry (0.3-1.0 million) had been stocked generally every other year…
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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