Elkhorn Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 34011900
DNR records show 18 stocking entries at Elkhorn Lake since 2016, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (69 fish).
- Elkhorn Lake has 18 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (18).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,097 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 41 ft; surface area 79 acres, 30 littoral acres, 1.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shortnose gar, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Kandiyohi County, nearest town Spicer; DNR lake number (DOW) 34011900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/30/1970 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 69 | 86.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 14 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | adults | 31 | 62.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 83 | 44.8 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 59 | 14.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | yearlings | 96 | 58.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye | adults | 10 | 16.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | yearlings | 210 | 84.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 21 | 21.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 50 | 92.6 |
| 2020 | Walleye | adults | 15 | 30.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 115 | 76.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 7 | 21.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 813 | 101.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 30 | 2.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 196 | 392.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 167 | 258.1 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 111 | 3.0 |
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 | East side of the lake. - East side of lake off of a residential gravel road that ties into County Road 8. Large parking lot. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 56.92 | 37 | 0.54 |
| Bluegill | Musky trap nets | 33.50 | 67 | 0.32 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Musky trap nets | 12.50 | 25 | 0.25 |
| Walleye | Musky trap nets | 10.00 | 20 | 0.73 |
| Yellow bullhead | Musky trap nets | 7.00 | 14 | 0.70 |
| Pumpkinseed | Musky trap nets | 4.00 | 8 | 0.17 |
| Black crappie | Musky trap nets | 4.00 | 8 | 0.34 |
| Black bullhead | Musky trap nets | 3.00 | 6 | 0.81 |
| Northern pike | Musky trap nets | 2.00 | 4 | 1.45 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 16.33 | 98 | 0.19 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.33 | 20 | 0.21 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 14 | 0.15 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.73 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.41 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 7.34 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 3.33 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 1.28 |
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 standard survey of Elkhorn Lake was conducted in late-June of 2023. Survey methodology and gears used to sample the Elkhorn fish population included six standard trapnets, two large frame trapnets and June night boat electrofishing. Gillnets are an optional survey gear for lakes under 100 acres. Gillnets were not set in Elkhorn during the 2023 survey. Two large frame trapnets (5 X 6 feet) were set in place of gillnets during 2023. 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). Elkhorn is a small lake (87 acres) with low productivity located in Kandiyohi County. The maximum depth is 41 feet. Invasive species recently found in Elkhorn include Eurasian Watermilfoil (2017) and Zebra Mussel (2018.). Water quality and clarity are excellent for Elkhorn. Water clarity was 24.0 feet deep on June 26, 2023. Dissolved oxygen was less than 5.00 ppm below 25 feet on June 26, 2023. Total phosphorus (0.023 ppm) was low in Elkhorn during late June of 2023. Water levels were below normal during the 2023 survey. Residential development (41 homes, 2013 survey) has occurred around the entire lake except for the northwest shore area. A new second tier housing development has occurred along the south portion of the lake during the last fifteen years. Hardwoods are present in moderate numbers along the east and north shoreline areas. There are six small inlets/springs that periodically flow into Elkhorn. The largest inlet connects to a small wetland and flows into the lake along the east shore. The second largest inlet drains State Highway #23 road runoff into Elkhorn. Direct agricultural row crop drainage into the lake is limited by upstream buffers and wetlands. Emergent vegetation (i.e. hardstem bulrush) is limited to the shallow outlet bay. Submergent vegetation species (i.e. clasping-leaf pondweed, northern milfoil, sago pondweed, coontail, muskgrass, filamentous algae, etc.) are frequently occurring in the littoral area (less than 15 feet deep) and especially in the shallow outlet bay area. Shoalwater substrates are mostly sand, silt, rubble and boulder. Elkhorn is known for good Largemouth Bass, Bluegill and Northern Pike fishing. Walleye are…
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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