Hanks Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 18004400
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Hanks Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (600 fish).
- Hanks Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2025): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,340 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 45 ft; surface area 165 acres, 49 littoral acres, 2.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Crow Wing County, nearest town Garrison; DNR lake number (DOW) 18004400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/19/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 600 | 30.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 612 | 34.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 603 | 20.1 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 525 | 21.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| C | UKN | Access is via the channel from Crooked Lake on the southeast end. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 100.70 | 1,007 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 74.90 | 749 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 23.20 | 232 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 50-ft beach seine | 20.10 | 201 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 13.90 | 139 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 7.10 | 71 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 6.40 | 64 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 4.10 | 41 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 39.60 | 44 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 27.00 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 19.80 | 22 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 18.90 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 6.30 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 6.30 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 2.70 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 1.80 | 2 | 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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Hanks Lake was conducted on July 10-11, 2023, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine. Nearshore sampling captured nineteen species of fish including eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Mimic Shiner, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2023 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Hanks Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous survey findings, which indicated that Hanks Lake fully supported aquatic life use based on the FIBI. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River - Brainerd Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.