Forest Lake (Washington County)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 82015900

DNR records show 34 stocking entries at Forest Lake (Washington County) since 2016, most recently muskellunge yearlings in 2025 (153 fish).

• Forest Lake (Washington County) has 34 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (26), muskellunge (8).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,370,268 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 37 ft; surface area 2,271 acres, 1,531 littoral acres, 15.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.6 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 6 more.
• 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 7, 2025 (standard survey).
• Washington County, nearest town Forest Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 82015900.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/3/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

Forest Lake is a 2,251 acre lake comprised of three distinct basins and assigned to lake class 24. There are three public boat accesses available on the lake resulting in high recreational use. Zebra Mussels were discovered in 2015. The primary management species in the lake are Walleye and Muskellunge both of which are maintained through stocking. Walleyes fingerlings are stocked annually on a variable schedule of either 995 or 1531 pounds. Muskellunge are currently stocked with a target quota of 766 fingerlings per year. The lake was sampled with gill nets and trap nets in July 2025 primarily to assess the Walleye population and provide fish composition information to be used in an Index of Biotic Integrity survey. The previous survey was conducted only with gill nets in 2023. Walleye were sampled at a rate of 7.9 fish per gill net. Fish size was larger than average for the lake class but similar to previous surveys with a mean length of 19 inches. Lengths ranged from 7.5 to 27 inches and were well distributed within that range. Ages ranged from 1 to 15 years with 7 year olds being the most abundant having twice as many sampled as any other year class. Growth appears to be adequate with age and size distributions offering quality angling opportunities. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 11.8 fish per gill net. This was substantially higher than the previous survey catch rate of 4.5 fish per gill net and was the highest rate sampled in the history of the lake. Fish size did not diminish with a mean length of 25.6 inches. Fish lengths ranged from 10 to 36 inches with 11% of the catch exceeding 30 inches. Yellow Perch were sampled at a rate of 13.6 fish per gill net. This was a substantial increase over the previous survey's rate of 6.3 fish per gill net and is a more typical catch for both the lake and the lake class. Size remained small with a mean length of 6.2 inches and a maximum length of 8 inches. Although summer trap nets were used to sample both Bluegill and Black Crappie populations for an Index of Biotic Integrity survey, spring panfish trap net surveys are best for describing Minnesota's panfish populations. Similarly, one 43.5 inch Muskellunge was sampled in trap nets but their population is better evaluated by separate spring surveys. Other species sampled during this survey were: Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, and Yellow Bullhead.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 7, 2025.

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