Guernsey Lake
Todd County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 77018200
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Guernsey Lake since 2024, most recently largemouth bass adults in 2024 (63 fish).
- Guernsey Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2024-2024): largemouth bass (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is largemouth bass: 63 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 19 ft, mean depth 7 ft; surface area 121 acres, 118 littoral acres, 2.2 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, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shorthead redhorse, and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Todd County, nearest town West Union; DNR lake number (DOW) 77018200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/16/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 63 | 52.5 |
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 OWNED ACCESS ON THE SOUTHWEST END OF LAKE. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 10.67 | 160 | 0.70 |
| Northern pike | Special trap nets | 1.93 | 29 | 3.09 |
| White sucker | Special trap nets | 1.60 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Special trap nets | 1.07 | 16 | 2.52 |
| Largemouth bass | Special trap nets | 0.87 | 13 | 2.72 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Special trap nets | 0.73 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 0.60 | 9 | 0.36 |
| Yellow bullhead | Special trap nets | 0.53 | 8 | 0.00 |
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.
Spring trap netting targeting Bluegill and Black Crappie was conducted from May 1-3, 2024. Black Crappie and Bluegill are the primary management species at this time though recent sampling indicates substantial populations of Walleye and Northern Pike. Four similar spring trap net assessments have been completed prior to this one dating back to 2003. Catches of most of the measured species appear to be somewhat related to water temperatures at the time of sampling with the largest catches of Black Crappie found when water temperatures were in the upper 50sF while Bluegill preferred temperatures above 60F. Walleye and Northern Pike were most numerous during the earliest assessments when water temperatures were cooler. Water temperatures during the 2024 assessment were 52-53F. Spring trap nets have generally produced large samples of crappie ranging from 152 to 633 fish. The total catch in 2024 was 160 crappies ranging in size from 9.3 to 12.9 inches. Mean size was 10.7 inches and fish over 10 inches accounted for 82% of the sample. Comparisons to similar surveys show an increasing representation of crappies over 10 inches which comprised 34% of the catch in 2016 and 47% in 2018. Crappies over 12 inches have been absent or rare in all past surveys but made up 7.5% of the 2024 sample. Aging and length data have indicated that the presence of a heavily dominant 2010 year class has had considerable influence on the size of crappies in the lake for many years. Few small crappies were present. The 2024 trap netting captured just 9 Bluegills measuring from 7.2 to 8.2 inches in length. Bluegill have never been abundant in the spring trap nets with previous efforts netting from 36 to 108 fish. While the 2024 catch was the lowest on record it may have been a reflection of early season sampling dates and low water temperatures. Bluegills over 7 inches have typically constituted a high proportion of past samples and fish over 10 inches have been noted. Growth rates have not been evaluated but are likely pretty fast. The trap nets produced a catch of 29 Northern Pike with the largest fish measuring 37.6 inches. Mean size was 23.8 inches with 41% exceeding 24 inches. Pike samples sizes were smaller in 2016 (12 fish) and 2018 (8 fish) possibly due to warmer water temperatures. Large pike (35-37 inches) were also present in these past efforts. The 2024 sample of Walleye consisted of 16 fish between 13.1 and 24.7 inches. The size distribution was quite even with no length group especially prominent suggesting the presence of multiple year class. A total of 13 Largemouth…
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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