Heron (South Heron) Lake
Jackson County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 32005707
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Heron (South Heron) Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (711,250 fish).
- Heron (South Heron) Lake has 11 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2025): walleye (7), northern pike (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 10,132,746 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 5 ft, mean depth 3 ft; surface area 2,641 acres, 2,641 littoral acres, 14.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, common carp, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Jackson County, nearest town Lakefield; DNR lake number (DOW) 32005707.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 711,250 | 5.9 |
| 2024 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 1,307 | 195.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 1,422,500 | 10.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 1,422,500 | 11.0 |
| 2022 | Northern Pike | fry | 253,348 | 8.4 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 1,422,500 | 11.8 |
| 2021 | Northern Pike | fry | 159,181 | 5.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 1,422,500 | 11.3 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 2,311,131 | 19.1 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fry | 134,820 | 2.1 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,420,365 | 13.8 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | Minnesota DNR | - DNR access on Northwest side T-103 R-37 S-15 |
| concrete ramp | county | - County access on east side T-103 R-36 S-19 |
| concrete ramp | county | - County access on West side T-103 R-37 S-24 |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 44.33 | 133 | 0.13 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 31.67 | 95 | 0.06 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 27.33 | 82 | 0.63 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 16.33 | 49 | 0.22 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 13.33 | 40 | 0.29 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 30 | 2.97 |
| Common shiner | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 9 | 0.11 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 4 | 1.79 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 16.50 | 165 | 0.10 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 7.10 | 71 | 6.28 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.40 | 24 | 0.10 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard trap nets | 1.10 | 11 | 6.59 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.30 | 3 | 0.32 |
| Tadpole madtom | Standard trap nets | 0.20 | 2 | 0.05 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.20 | 2 | 1.21 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.20 | 2 | 1.15 |
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.
South Heron Lake is a 2,845-acre lake located 2 miles northwest of the City of Lakefield. Heron Lake is a designated wildlife lake, therefore it is managed primarily for wildlife such as waterfowl, furbearers, and other game and non-game species. Water levels are typically lowered during the fall to encourage winterkill of undesirable fish species such as Common Carp and Black Bullheads because they destroy aquatic vegetation which is important for waterfowl. A rotenone rehabilitation project was done during the winter of 1997-1998 to decimate fish populations; however, this effort was not as successful as desired. Because this is a designated wildlife lake that is prone to frequent winterkills because of water level manipulation, fisheries management is focused on providing a "boom or bust" fishery that is predator heavy for control of rough fish populations. From a fisheries perspective, Heron Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and secondarily for Walleye and Yellow Perch. Northern Pike fry were stocked in 2016, 2021, and 2022. Walleye fry are stocked if there is a surplus available and have been stocked annually beginning in 2021. A fisheries survey was conducted the week of May 22, 2023 to monitor fish populations using three gill nets and 10 trap nets. Since 1994, Northern Pike catch rates have exceeded 22.0 per gill net and have averaged 13.9 per gill net since 1987. The 2023 catch rate was significantly lower than historic catches at 1.3 per gill net but was still within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.2 to 7.8 per gill net). Northern Pike fry were stocked in 2021 and 2022; however, based on the 2023 catch rate the stockings appear to have been unsuccessful. Northern Pike lengths ranged from 13.5 to 26.0 inches and averaged 18.3 inches. Northern Pike will continue to be stocked when available. Be aware that there are zonal regulations for Northern Pike. In order to harvest a Northern Pike in southern Minnesota the fish must be over 24 inches with a limit of 2 fish. Walleye catch rates have been extremely high in South Heron Lake since 2011 (27.0 per gill net in 2011; 34.0 per gill net in 2017). In 2023, the Walleye catch rate was 13.3 per gill net which is above the long-term average of 11.4 per gill net and is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (3.2 to 15.3 per gill net). Lengths of Walleye ranged from 6.7 to 18.9 inches and averaged 9.4 inches. All of the Walleye were from the 2022 stocking (age-1), except for one age-2 Walleye. Age-1 walleyes ranged from 6.7 to 10.4 inches in length and…
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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.