French Lake (Aitkin County)
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01010400
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at French Lake (Aitkin County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (30,500 fish).
- French Lake (Aitkin County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 152,500 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 37 ft; surface area 149 acres, 61 littoral acres, 2.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Palisade; DNR lake number (DOW) 01010400.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 30,500 | 0.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 30,500 | 0.3 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 30,500 | 0.3 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 30,500 | 0.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 30,500 | 0.3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | - THERE IS AN ENFORCEMENT CONTROLLED ACCESS AT THE NORTH END. |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.17 | 25 | 0.20 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 2.16 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 14 | 0.15 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 1.41 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 2.18 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.75 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 5.36 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 1.38 |
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.
French Lake is a small lake located in central Aitkin County approximately 6 miles southwest of Palisade. The lake has a surface area of 137 acres with a maximum depth of 37 feet. The water is brownish-green in color with a secchi disc reading that has ranged from 5 to 8 feet over the years. There is an unimproved township owned access located on the northeast corner of the lake. The lakeshore is a mixture of timber covered hills, open bog, and grassland, with private homes and cabins on the east side of the lake, and the French Lake Wildlife Management Area on the west. Northern Pike and Black Crappie are the primary management species and Walleye and Bluegill are secondary management species. The invasive aquatic plant Eurasian Milfoil has established itself in the lake, so lake users should be sure to clean, drain and dry equipment when leaving the lake to prevent the spread to other waterbodies. Walleye have inhabited the lake and have been caught in all but two surveys of the lake going back to 1970. Walleye present in French Lake were presumably migrants from Gun Lake during spawning runs or high water events, or possibly via the ditch connection to the Rice River. Spawning habitat for Walleye is limited and recruitment from natural reproduction is poor in French Lake. Since Walleye are known to have survived in the lake, a Walleye fry stocking strategy was implemented in 2013 to augment the existing population. No Walleye had been stocked in the lake prior to 2013. From 2013 to 2018 30,500 Walleye fry were stocked annually. Walleye abundance has ranged from 0 - 2.8/gill net with an average catch rate of 1.0/gill net in the eight surveys conducted spanning a time period from (1981-2020). This is the second survey since fry stocking started. No Walleye were caught in 2016 and only one Walleye was caught in 2020, for a catchrate of 0.17/gillnet. The fish was a 5 year old, 17.5 inches and 1.8 lbs. After two surveys it appears fry survival is poor in this lake and may need to be dropped or amended to fingerlings instead. Walleye from Gun Lake and the Rice River may move to French Lake during favorable hydrologic conditions, however this is sporadic at best. Spawning habitat for Walleye is limited and recruitment from natural reproduction is poor in French Lake. Northern Pike numbers are generally stable and on the low end for this lake type, this survey was no different at a catch of 2.7/gill net. The size structure was reasonable but not as good as 2016. The average size was 21.7 inches, and 2 fish were over 26 inches. For a small lake it has the…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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