Goose Lake (Wright County)
Wright County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86010800
Goose Lake (Wright County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Goose Lake (Wright County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 14 ft, mean depth 5 ft; surface area 52 acres, 52 littoral acres, 1.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), channel catfish, common carp, largemouth bass, northern pike, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Wright County, nearest town Buffalo; DNR lake number (DOW) 86010800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| O | UKN | - STATE OWNED ACCESS ON DEER LAKE. GOOSE and DEER LAKES ARE CONNECTED BY A SHORT CHANNEL NAVIGABLE BY BOAT |
DNR fish survey, 2013
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 60.00 | 120 | 0.55 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 17.50 | 35 | 0.17 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 14 | 2.23 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 9 | 2.46 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 7 | 3.22 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 5.57 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 7.33 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.67 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 14.27 | 11 | 1.04 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 7.83 | 47 | 0.26 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 2.83 | 17 | 0.23 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 16 | 2.89 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 12 | 5.72 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.50 | 9 | 2.92 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 2.12 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 2.25 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.22 |
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.
Goose Lake is a 42 acre lake located southwest of the city of Buffalo in Wright County. The maximum depth is 14 feet and water clarity in 2013 was poor. The lake has a small watershed of mostly pasture and cropland. Goose Lake outlets to Deer Lake, which has a public access. The lake was last surveyed in 1988. Aquatic vegetation was limited and shallow due to low water clarity. Sago pondweed was the most common species found. Curly leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil are invasive species which were present but rare. Goose Lake has a history of partial winterkills, but the last recorded event was in 1989. Northern Pike gill net catches were in the expected range for lakes similar to Goose in both 2013 and 1988. Northern Pike lengths in 2013 ranged from 18.9 to 29.6 inches with an average length and weight of 23.8 inches and 2.7 pounds. Twenty five percent of Northern Pike caught were longer than 24 inches and growth was fast, reaching 23 inches at age three. Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime boat electrofishing and the catch rate was below average for the Montrose area. Largemouth Bass lengths ranged from 8.1 to 16.5 inches with an average length and weight of 11.9 inches and 1.1 pounds. Eighteen percent of Largemouth Bass sampled were longer than 15 inches. Only two large Walleye were caught in the survey and past survey catches have also been low. Black Crappie net catches were within the expected range for lakes similar to Goose Lake and were similar to the last survey. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 4.3 to 9.8 inches with an average length and weight of 7.3 inches and 0.24 pounds. Growth was average and Black Crappie reached 7.5 inches in three years. Bluegill catches were low in 2013 and 1988. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.6 to 7.8 inches with an average length and weight of 6.4 inches and 0.23 pounds. Very few Yellow Perch have been caught in the past two surveys. Other species caught in 2013 include: Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Black Bullhead were the most numerous fish caught, but were much more abundant in previous surveys. As in Deer Lake, the arrival of Channel Catfish from the Crow River may be reducing the abundance of bullheads.
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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