Fairy Lake
Todd County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 77015400
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Fairy Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2021 (150,000 fish).
- Fairy Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2017-2021): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 454,107 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 37 ft, mean depth 16 ft; surface area 307 acres, 140 littoral acres, 4.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, cisco species, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Todd County, nearest town Sauk Centre; DNR lake number (DOW) 77015400.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,107 | 1,110.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.4 |
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 | - STATE OWNED ACCESS ON EAST SIDE OF THE LAKE. |
| gravel ramp | UKN | - Off Twp Rd.; next to inlet from Lily Lake - NE side of lake |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 33.46 | 435 | 0.27 |
| Yellow bullhead | Special trap nets | 11.85 | 154 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Special trap nets | 10.31 | 134 | 0.10 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Special trap nets | 6.92 | 90 | 0.07 |
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 5.77 | 75 | 0.48 |
| Northern pike | Special trap nets | 1.92 | 25 | 0.98 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Special trap nets | 0.92 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Special trap nets | 0.38 | 5 | 0.95 |
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.
Spring trap netting targeting Bluegill and Black Crappie was conducted in May of 2024. Bluegill were assessed to estimate size structures and for comparisons to Area lakes with more restrictive bag limits aimed at improving Bluegill size structure. Additionally, a creel survey was ongoing during this survey along with the tagging of Bluegill and Black Crappie by Fisheries Research staff to assess the extent of harvest. All sunfish and crappie were inspected for tags and 2 tagged Bluegill were recorded from this assessment. Four similar spring trap net assessments have been completed prior to this one dating back to 2004. The 2024 trap netting captured 435 Bluegills. Nearly half of the sample (48.5%) was comprised of fish 7 inches or longer, 10.1% exceeded 8 inches and a single individual was over 9 inches. In comparison there were 232 Bluegills caught in 2019 when an improved size structure was quite evident. The 2019 size structure displayed enhanced quality characteristics including: 58.2% of the sample over 7 inches, 23.7% over 8 inches, 5 fish over 9 inches, and a maximum size of 9.84 inches. 2019 was the only survey to capture multiple 9 inch Bluegills. While the 2024 size structure was not as desirable as 2019 it was still significantly better than the three similar assessments completed prior to 2019. No aging structures were collected from Bluegill in 2024. Otoliths were taken in 2019 with aging indicating normal growth rates for this area with Age 7 fish averaging 7.9 inches and Age 9 fish averaging 8.8 inches. Growth was sustained up to nearly 9 inches but appeared to slow thereafter. Black Crappie samples have been variable with small catches ( Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Green Sunfish were also observed in spring trap netting. Pumpkinseed were most prevalent with 126 fish counted. A subsample was measured which found that more than half of the catch was over 7 inches. More than half of the 66 fish Hybrid Sunfish sample also exceeded 7 inches. The largest Hybrid Sunfish measured was 8.74 inches. Only 2 Green Sunfish were caught but the largest was 9.13 inches. The trap nets produced a catch of 25 Northern Pike with the largest fish measuring just 20.3 inches. Average size was 16.6 inches. Only 2 Walleye were observed measuring 17 and 20.6 inches. Five Largemouth Bass ranging from 10.6 to 14.4 inches were also captured.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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