Hay Lake (Cass County)
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11019900
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Hay Lake (Cass County) since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (1,584 fish).
- Hay Lake (Cass County) has 11 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2024): walleye (11).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 14,569 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 56 ft; surface area 364 acres, 179 littoral acres, 5.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Backus; DNR lake number (DOW) 11019900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,584 | 66.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,052 | 90.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,731 | 90.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 60 | 60.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,890 | 90.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,160 | 90.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 17 | 12.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,204 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,170 | 94.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 205 | 5.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 496 | 178.3 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 | THERE IS A STATE-OWNED ACCESS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE LAKE SEC. 12 |
DNR fish survey, 2024
Temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles were collected in the deepest basins in Hay Lake on August 1, 2024 , to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. Cisco require a layer of oxythermal habitat that contains water temperatures below 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) and dissolved oxygen concentrations above 3.0 mg/L. Based on the profile from the deepest basin, the water temperature decreased to below 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) at 19.5 feet and the dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to 3.0 mg/L at 18.7 feet at the time of sampling. The water column did not contain a layer of water with sufficient temperature and dissolved oxygen for Cisco. Further, the temperature at which dissolved oxygen decreased to 3.0 mg/L (i.e., TDO3, a single variable to characterize oxythermal habitat) was 22.2 degrees C (76.1 degrees F). TDO3 values above 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) indicate that oxythermal conditions were unsuitable for Cisco at the time of this survey. Data collected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 2006-2023 during the late summer thermal stress period also indicate marginal oxythermal habitat in most years surveyed, with the least favorable conditions recorded in 2024. When inadequate oxythermal habitat is available, Cisco are squeezed into unfavorable, warmer water conditions and experience higher levels of stress.
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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