French Lake (Wright County)
Wright County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86027300
DNR records show 14 stocking entries at French Lake (Wright County) since 2017, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (86 fish).
- French Lake (Wright County) has 14 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (14).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 479,532 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 50 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 346 acres, 156 littoral acres, 3.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white crappie, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Wright County, nearest town Annandale; DNR lake number (DOW) 86027300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/6/1984 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 86 | 43.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 255 | 85.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 155,541 | 1.5 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,158 | 238.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 119 | 55.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,672 | 102.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,728 | 268.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 305,050 | 2.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 933 | 134.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 322 | 166.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 3 | 3.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | adults | 10 | 14.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,680 | 391.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,975 | 421.0 |
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 | The access is located on the west shore; off 42nd St NW. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 31.13 | 74 | 1.83 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 27.78 | 250 | 0.18 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.51 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.18 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.96 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.04 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.15 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.99 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 3.54 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 18.50 | 111 | 2.74 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 17.67 | 106 | 0.14 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 15.50 | 93 | 0.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 13.00 | 78 | 0.79 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 11.50 | 69 | 0.08 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 54 | 1.87 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 4.83 | 29 | 0.60 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 20 | 0.13 |
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 346-acre lake located three miles southwest of the City of Annandale. The lake is highly productive and has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The watershed is large, and land use is primarily cultivated crops (47%). Summer water clarity is relatively poor and was 1.5 feet in July. Additionally, the University of Minnesota has documented a nine-year average Secchi depth of 4.2 feet in July . Dissolved oxygen supported fish down to 11 feet, identical to the 2013 survey. There is a singular DNR owned public access located on the northwest portion of the lake. A standard survey was conducted in 2025 to update information last collected in 2013. Anglers can expect quality fishing for Walleye, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. French Lake is infested with Eurasian watermilfoil; please remember to clean, drain, and dry. The Walleye catch in 2025 was the highest ever recorded (9/gill net) and significantly higher than the 2013 survey (2.8/gill net). From 1985-2025 Walleye catches have ranged from 0.7-9.0/gill net, with a historical average of 2.9/gill net. Catch rates were above the expected values for similar lakes. Walleye sampled ranged in length from 10.8-28.1 inches, with a mean length and weight of 16.5 inches and 1.9 pounds. Sixty percent of Walleye sampled were 15 inches or longer and 19% were 20 inches or longer. Walleye grow quickly in French Lake, reaching 15 inches in length by age two. Nine different year-classes were sampled, four of which occurred in years without stocking, indicating some natural reproduction occurs. The 2023 year-class accounted of 76% of the Walleye sampled. Largemouth Bass were sampled via daytime electrofishing on April 23, 2025. A total of 74 bass were sampled in 2.37 hours (31.1/hour). Sampled bass ranged in length from 5.2-19.7 inches, with a mean length and weight of 14.7 inches and 1.8 pounds. Ninety-three percent of Largemouth Bass sampled were 12 inches or longer and 32% were 15 inches or longer. Two previous Largemouth Bass assessments were conducted in May of 2004 (32/hour) and May of 2011 (81/hour). Northern Pike numbers have ranged from 2.2-18.5/gill net, with a long-term average of 5.5/gill net. The 2025 catch was (18.5/gill net) was significantly higher than the 2013 survey (3.2/gill net) and was the highest on record. Catch rates were higher than the expected values for similar lakes. Pike sampled ranged in length from 17-34.5 inches, with a mean length of 23 inches and 2.8 pounds. Fourteen percent of Northern Pike were 26 inches or longer and 3% were 30 inches or longer. The Black Crappie catch…
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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