Emma Lake (Wright County)
Wright County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86018800
Emma Lake (Wright County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Emma Lake (Wright County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 16 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 189 acres, 180 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Wright County, nearest town Howard Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 86018800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| CA | Minnesota DNR | Unimproved gravel canoe carry access - 4-wheel drive vehicles - room for 2 vehicles and trailers. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 12.38 | 99 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 6.38 | 51 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 5.38 | 43 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 5.25 | 42 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 2.50 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 1.62 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | 50-ft beach seine | 1.25 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 1.12 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 10.78 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 6.93 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 5.39 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 3.85 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 3.08 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 2.31 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 0.77 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 0.77 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 4.44 | 40 | 0.06 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 3.44 | 31 | 0.26 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 21 | 6.52 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 18 | 0.09 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 18 | 3.39 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.08 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.07 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.52 |
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 of nearshore fish species in Emma Lake was conducted on July 21 - July 23, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at ten sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations. Two stations were not seined due to dense vegetation and soft substrate. Nearshore sampling captured ten species of fish, including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Iowa Darter) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by LBMA program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured thirteen species of fish, including zero species that are intolerant of disturbance and three that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead, Common Carp, and Green Sunfish). Pumpkinseed and Black Bullhead comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Common Carp comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net were combined with gill net data from a June 2016 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based index of biological integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the North Fork Crow River watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Emma Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
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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