Francis Lake (Isanti County)
Isanti County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 30008000
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Francis Lake (Isanti County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (600,000 fish).
- Francis Lake (Isanti County) has 7 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2024): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,602,650 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 7 ft, mean depth 4 ft; surface area 269 acres, 269 littoral acres, 3.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Isanti County, nearest town Isanti; DNR lake number (DOW) 30008000.
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 | Walleye | fry | 600,000 | 5.3 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,650 | 53.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 600,000 | 5.2 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 600,000 | 5.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 600,000 | 5.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 600,000 | 5.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 600,000 | 5.4 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | TOW | Earthen lot with parking for six rigs with trailers |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 33.49 | 36 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 33.49 | 36 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Backpack electrofishing | 22.33 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 14.88 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 1.86 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 0.93 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 0.93 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 13.00 | 104 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 9.62 | 77 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 6.50 | 52 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 5.62 | 45 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 0.62 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 0.62 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 2 | 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.
A survey of nearshore fish species was conducted on Francis Lake on June 19, 2024 by Hinckley fisheries staff. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the shoreline and each site was sampled by electrofishing, and/or seining. Nearshore sampling captured 17 species of fish: Bluegill, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Bowfin, Northern Pike, Green Sunfish, Brown Bullhead, Common Shiner, Golden Shiner, Yellow Perch, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, Black Bullhead, and Fathead Minnow. The nearshore fish survey data is combined with gill net and trap net data from previous Francis Lake surveys to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score based on expectations for similar lakes. The FIBI score for Francis Lake based on this survey is below the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. This survey is contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with the MN Pollution Control Agency. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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