Games Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 34022400
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Games Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (153,405 fish).
- Games Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (8), northern pike (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,187,716 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 42 ft; surface area 527 acres, 242 littoral acres, 4.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shortnose gar, and 3 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Kandiyohi County, nearest town Sunburg; DNR lake number (DOW) 34022400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/5/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 153,405 | 1.5 |
| 2024 | Northern Pike | adults | 113 | 135.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,277 | 260.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,172 | 356.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 148,981 | 1.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 201,248 | 1.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 182,674 | 1.8 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 242,957 | 2.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 255,002 | 2.8 |
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 | State access on east side of the lake- next to the outlet dam. - One ramp, dock, bathroom and adequate parking. A small fishing pier downstream of dam next to parking area and CR#5 culvert. |
| concrete ramp | county | Access in Kandiyohi County Park #7- southeast side of lake. - One ramp, dock, bathroom, limited parking and campground. |
| C | Minnesota DNR | Boat channel between Norway and Games Lakes. - Boat navigation possible, pontoon navigation unlikely due to narrow width of the channel. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 55.50 | 111 | 1.31 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 25.10 | 251 | 0.17 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 30 | 2.76 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.80 | 28 | 0.25 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.90 | 19 | 0.94 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.20 | 12 | 0.54 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.10 | 11 | 2.52 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 10 | 3.37 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 10 | 0.18 |
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 16.00 | 8 | 0.09 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 8.25 | 33 | 0.11 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 2.75 | 11 | 1.67 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 8 | 1.24 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 8 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 6 | 2.94 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 2 | 1.84 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.60 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.56 |
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 standard survey of Games Lake was conducted in early July of 2024. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e., standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e., lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). Additional sampling conducted in 2024 included spring Largemouth Bass electrofishing and fall electrofishing for Young of Year "YOY" Walleye. Games Lake is a moderately sized (521 acres), moderately deep (42 feet maximum), and low to moderately productive lake located in Kandiyohi County. Games Lake is a popular recreational lake. A county park is located along the southeast shoreline. Residential development has occurred throughout the entire shoreline area with the exception of small portions of the south side, north side, and northwest bay. Two public access sites are present with one along the east side (DNR access) and another on the southeast side (county access). A 30 acre Aquatic Management Area "AMA" (acquired in 2003) is located along the north shore. A channel is present that connects Games Lake to Norway Lake and is conducive to boat navigation. Games Lake is also connected to several periodic winterkill (Swan, Henchien) and non-winterkill lakes (Andrew) via the outlet which eventually becomes Shakopee Creek. A low head dam is present at the outlet. Water levels were below normal early, above normal during mid-summer and normal by fall of 2024. Water clarity (secchi=4.5 feet) was poor for Games during the 2024 survey. Dissolved oxygen levels were above 5.0 ppm to depths of 16 feet. Emergent vegetation densities (bulrush, cattails, burreed, and arrowhead) are low to moderate in Games Lake occurring mostly in the northwest and east shore areas. Eurasian watermilfoil "EWM" was found along the west side of Games during 2014. EWM has been present in upstream Norway Lake since 2001. Submergent vegetation species (bladderwort, bushy pondweed, clasping-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, flat-stem pondweed, muskgrass, coontail, water celery, sago pondweed, northern milfoil, etc.) are moderately abundant within the shallow areas ( Games lies within the larger Chippewa River Watershed District and sub watershed of Upper Shakopee Creek. The Chippewa River Watershed District was the lead agency for coordinating…
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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