Fox Lake (Rice County)
Rice County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 66002900
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Fox Lake (Rice County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (69,500 fish).
- Fox Lake (Rice County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2025): walleye (5), northern pike (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 561,095 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 47 ft; surface area 312 acres, 139 littoral acres, 3.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Rice County, nearest town Millersburg; DNR lake number (DOW) 66002900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/21/1975 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 69,500 | 0.6 |
| 2023 | Northern Pike | fry | 34,830 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 69,500 | 0.5 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 139,000 | 1.1 |
| 2021 | Northern Pike | fry | 19,120 | 0.6 |
| 2019 | Northern Pike | fry | 34,750 | 1.3 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 139,000 | 1.3 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fry | 99,242 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 144,095 | 1.4 |
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 | South shore of lake - Access in good condition with ample parking - dock and pier. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 35.40 | 177 | 0.07 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 17.00 | 85 | 2.48 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 11.60 | 58 | 2.44 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 5.60 | 28 | 1.75 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.20 | 26 | 0.17 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.40 | 17 | 0.36 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.40 | 7 | 2.10 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 0.80 | 4 | 3.92 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 26.33 | 316 | 0.06 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 3.58 | 43 | 0.08 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard trap nets | 3.08 | 37 | 1.86 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.17 | 26 | 0.13 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 6.43 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 2.86 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 4.06 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.08 | 1 | 0.54 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 14.54 | 15 | 1.36 |
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 311-acre lake located in Rice County north of Faribault. The lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet. A DNR-maintained public access and fishing pier are located on the south end of the lake. The west shoreline of the lake is developed with residential houses. Fox Lake is managed primarily for Black Crappie, Walleye, and Northern Pike and secondarily for Bluegill. Fox Lake is stocked with Walleye fry every other year (even-numbered years) at a rate of 1,000 fish per littoral acre to maintain the population. Northern Pike fry are stocked in the direct watershed two of every three years. Fox Lake has been designated as a Tier II lake in the Waterville area and future surveys will be conducted every six years. Fox Lake is designated as an infested water due to the presence of Eurasian water-milfoil, which was first discovered in the lake in 2009. Eurasian water-milfoil limits recreational activities by forming dense mats on the water surface and disrupts aquatic ecosystems by competing with and displacing native plants. Eurasian water-milfoil is spread primarily by the introduction of plant fragments, which can easily be transported by boaters. Always be sure to clean all aquatic plant material and drain all water from boats, trailers, and equipment before leaving the lake access. Fox Lake was surveyed the week of 24 July 2023 by the MN DNR as part of a regularly scheduled monitoring program. This survey included deploying 5 gill nets and 12 trap nets. Black Crappie relative abundance was 2.2/trap net. The 2023 trap net catch rate was less than the previous survey in 2017 (3.5/trap net) and less than the lake average since 1996 of 2.6/trap net. Black Crappie were also sampled with gill nets at a rate of 5.2/gill net which was less than the lake average since 1996 (8.9/gill net), and the previous survey in 2017 (16.8/gill net). The average length of Black Crappie sampled with trap nets was 5.8 inches and ranged from 4.1 inches to 10.2 inches. Black Crappie sampled in gill nets ranged from 4.3 inches to 10.3 inches with an average of 6.0 inches. Black Crappie were aged using scales and otoliths. Five year-classes of Black Crappie were present during the survey (2017, 2018, and 2020-2022). Eighty-one percent of aged Black Crappie were age-1 (2022 year class). Black Crappie management goals (15.0/gill net and 15% greater than 8 inches) were not met in 2023. Fox Lake supports a good population of Walleye when compared to other class 24 lakes, with catch rates often exceeding the upper quartile for class 24 lakes. Walleye were sampled at a rate of…
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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