Fish Lake (Dakota County)

Dakota County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 19005700

DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Fish Lake (Dakota County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2018 (250 fish).

• Fish Lake (Dakota County) has 4 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2016-2018): walleye (2), yellow perch (1), channel catfish (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is channel catfish: 4,189 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 34 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 31 acres, 24 littoral acres, 1.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 1, 2013 (standard survey).
• Dakota County, nearest town Eagan; DNR lake number (DOW) 19005700.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2013

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.

Fish Lake is a 29 acre lake managed by the Fishing in the Neighborhood Program and the City of Eagan. The lake has a boat access (electric motors only), a fishing pier, and shore fishing areas for anglers. The lake supports a diverse fish community and was previously stocked with Channel Catfish from 1998-2002. Catfish stocking was discontinued after the 2002 survey did not turn up any evidence of stocking success in this lake. Subsequent surveys in 2008 and 2013 also did not sample any Channel Catfish. Northern Pike abundance is low when compared to past surveys, but the fish sampled were of a quality size, averaging 26 inches long. The number of Northern Pike sampled has shown a steady decrease in each survey from a high of 28 per gillnet in 2002 to ten per gillnet in 2013. The average size and weight has shown the opposite trend though with larger fish showing up in each survey. This trend will need to be monitored for future management activities regarding this species, finding a balance between size and numbers of fish. One 7.1 inch long Largemouth Bass was sampled, the gear types used in this survey do not effectively sample this species so inferences cannot be made regarding the population size or fish quality at this time. Bluegill were small in length but, the numbers observed in this survey were within the normal range for this lake class, with no fish measuring over seven inches long. Black Crappie had the lowest catch rate on record, with only five fish sampled (85 fish sampled in 2008) and the largest measuring eight inches long. Small Black Crappie are typical in Fish Lake, with only three fish measuring over eight inches sampled in the past four surveys. The low abundance of Black Crappie observed in this survey is not alarming and may be due to the boom/bust nature of Black Crappie populations. Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Green Sunfish and Hybrid Sunfish were sampled in low numbers and of a small size during this survey. Yellow Perch were not sampled in the 2013 survey.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 1, 2013.

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