Garfield Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 29006100
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Garfield Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (528,525 fish).
- Garfield Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2024): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,107,680 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 32 ft, mean depth 15 ft; surface area 972 acres, 521 littoral acres, 6.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 16.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hubbard County, nearest town Laporte; DNR lake number (DOW) 29006100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 3/15/1937 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 528,525 | 4.5 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 525,915 | 4.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 527,240 | 4.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 526,000 | 4.4 |
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 | city | Access is located in the town of Laporte on the southwest shore of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 28.67 | 344 | 1.31 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.33 | 100 | 0.46 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.17 | 86 | 1.59 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 54 | 0.34 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 3.75 | 45 | 0.59 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.42 | 41 | 1.61 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.25 | 39 | 0.90 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 32 | 0.10 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 15.88 | 254 | 0.30 |
| Pumpkinseed | Special trap nets | 5.38 | 86 | 0.35 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Special trap nets | 0.12 | 2 | 0.48 |
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 0.06 | 1 | 0.77 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 6.08 | 73 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 4.75 | 57 | 0.91 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 3.25 | 39 | 4.70 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.58 | 31 | 0.30 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.42 | 17 | 1.43 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 16 | 1.88 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.92 | 11 | 0.79 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 4 | 4.95 |
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.
Garfield Lake (DOW # 29-0061-00) is located adjacent to the town of Laporte, in northeastern Hubbard County. Garfield Lake has a surface area of 960 acres and a maximum depth of 32 feet. There is a city-owned public access located on the southwest shore of the lake. Garfield is a popular lake for Walleye and Northern Pike fishing but also provides angling opportunities for panfish and Largemouth Bass. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Garfield Lake is in Lake Class 27. Lake Class 27 lakes are generally large, deep, hardwater lakes, with very regularly shaped shorelines. Other Lake Class 27 lakes in the Park Rapids management area include: Fish Hook, Lake George, and Upper Bottle. Present and past surveys have shown a Walleye population in Garfield consistently near or above management goals, with their abundance fluctuating near the upper end of the range for this Lake Class. Half of Walleyes sampled were in the 14-18-inch size range. Sampled Walleye had an average length and weight of 16.6 inches and 1.59 pounds, with fish measured up to 26.9 inches. Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye were sampled in low numbers and most were small, with few fish of an acceptable size for angling. Garfield Lake supports an abundant Northern Pike population. Anglers will find lots of small Northern Pike, with sampled fish having an average length and weight of 19.0 inches and 1.31 pounds, and fish measured up to 28.2 inches. The number of large Northern Pike (>28 inches) was low when compared to other area lakes. Garfield Lake is probably known more for "quality" than "quantity" when it comes to its panfish and Largemouth Bass populations. Bluegill abundance has fluctuated from low to moderate abundance in recent surveys for this lake class. Most of the Bluegill and Pumpkinseed sampled were in the 6-8-inch size range, with fish up to 9.4 inches sampled. Black Crappie were sampled in low numbers, similar to past surveys. Anglers could find Black Crappie in the 10-12-inch size range. Largemouth Bass were sampled in low numbers for this Lake Class. Largemouth Bass sampled had an average length and weight of 14.6 inches and 1.88 pounds, with fish sampled up to 19.4 inches. Currently starry stonewort, curly-leaf pondweed and zebra mussels are the only aquatic invasive species (AIS) that have been identified in Garfield Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their…
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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