Fox Lake (Murray County)
Murray County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 51004300
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Fox Lake (Murray County) since 2016, most recently northern pike fingerlings in 2024 (375 fish).
- Fox Lake (Murray County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2024): northern pike (4), crappie (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is northern pike: 2,472 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 8 ft; surface area 172 acres, 183 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Murray County, nearest town Currie; DNR lake number (DOW) 51004300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 375 | 56.0 |
| 2023 | Crappie | adults | 210 | 70.0 |
| 2021 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 94 | 78.3 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | adults | 163 | 295.2 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 1,840 | 23.0 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - STATE OWNED ACCESS ON SOUTHWEST SIDE OF LAKE |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead minnow | Special electrofishing | 3196.00 | 799 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Special electrofishing | 68.00 | 17 | 0.81 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Special electrofishing | 20.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Channel catfish | Special electrofishing | 20.00 | 5 | 4.77 |
| Common carp | Special electrofishing | 12.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Special electrofishing | 8.00 | 2 | 1.14 |
| Yellow perch | Special electrofishing | 4.00 | 1 | 0.03 |
| Spotfin shiner | Special electrofishing | 4.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
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.
Fox Lake is a 176-acre, class 43 lake located in Murray County approximately 4.5 miles north of the City of Currie. Fox Lake has a maximum depth of 8.5 feet and has a history of poor water quality (secchi depth=0.7 ft.), likely a result of a highly agricultural watershed. An unknown sized culvert connects Fox Lake and Bloody Lake (although not visually apparent), as water has been observed draining west to east under the road during high water. Currently, Fox Lake is managed as a "pike/perch" fishery, with Yellow Perch being the primary management species, and Northern Pike and Black Crappie being the secondary management species. Dissolved oxygen levels were less than 1.0 parts per million throughout much of the winter of 2022-2023, below the threshold of 2.0 ppm when fish begin to be stressed. Additionally, windrows of dead fish were observed along the gravel road on the west side of Fox Lake when the ice came off in the spring. A survey was conducted on May 15, 2023, using boat electrofishing to determine the extent of the winterkill on Fox Lake. During the standard survey in 2020, 11 species of fish were sampled in Fox Lake. Nine species of fish were sampled in the 2023 winterkill check including Bigmouth Buffalo (20.0 per hour), Black Bullhead (8.0 per hour), Black Crappie (68.0 per hour), Channel Catfish (20.0 per hour), Common Carp (12.0 per hour), Fathead Minnow (3169.0 per hour), Spotfin Shiner (4.0 per hour), Walleye (4.0 per hour), and Yellow Perch (4.0 per hour). Black Crappie and Channel Catfish are susceptible to low dissolved oxygen levels, so the presence of these species in the winterkill check indicates that it was a minor winterkill at Fox Lake.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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