Hill Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01014200
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Hill Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (10,585 fish).
- Hill Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2017-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,388,133 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 48 ft, mean depth 22 ft; surface area 794 acres, 354 littoral acres, 10.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, and 4 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Hill City; DNR lake number (DOW) 01014200.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 10,585 | 352.8 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 350,000 | 3.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,895 | 353.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 350,000 | 3.2 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,348 | 354.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 300,000 | 2.5 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 8,430 | 354.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,875 | 375.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 350,000 | 3.2 |
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 | city | - The Hill City Park public access is located near the southwest corner of the main basin of the lake. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - The designated public access is in the south basin of the lake (T52N R26W S24); and can be reached from State Highway 200. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 30.00 | 58 | 2.05 |
| Walleye | Standard electrofishing | 6.21 | 12 | 1.92 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 13.67 | 164 | 0.11 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 8.83 | 106 | 3.19 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.75 | 69 | 0.50 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.17 | 62 | 0.27 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.92 | 23 | 1.86 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 14 | 2.28 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.08 | 13 | 0.24 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 6 | 5.61 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 6.83 | 82 | 0.09 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 32 | 0.10 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 12 | 0.38 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 8 | 5.60 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 2.88 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.06 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 4 | 0.10 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 0.04 |
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.
Hill Lake is one of the larger lakes in Aitkin County at 907 acres and is located on the east side of Hill City. The lake has a maximum depth of 48 feet and is divided into two distinct basins by Highway 200. In addition to the public accesses (one on each basin), a fishing pier also exists in Hill City on the west side of the north basin. Hill Lake AMA on the east side of the north basin also offers unimproved access for shore anglers. Hill Lake has a long history of fisheries management dating back to an initial survey conducted in 1948. Hill is primarily managed for Walleye via fry and fingerling stocking in alternate years. Hill Lake is also part of the Sentinel Lakes program and is closely monitored by DNR, Aitkin County, and MN PCA partners. The aquatic plant community in Hill Lake is relatively diverse with a narrow band of moderately dense plant growth rimming both basins. Aquatic vegetation grows in approximately two-thirds of the smaller southern basin, though reduced water clarity compared to the north basin limits how deep these plants can grow. A standard survey of Hill Lake was conducted the week of 7/14/2025, which included Largemouth Bass electrofishing (5/14/2025). Additionally, a Walleye and Northern Pike spawning stock assessment (Targeted Survey 4/21/2025) was also performed and a nearshore survey for lake health analysis was also conducted (See Targeted Survey 07/01/2025). Although numbers of Walleye in Hill Lake appear lower than in the past, anglers will still find opportunity to catch and harvest some "eater" sized fish. Trophy-sized fish are also present in the system, which gives a realistic chance at landing a Walleye over 28 inches. Overall, the Walleye gill net catch decreased from levels observed in 2023 (5.9 per net) to 1.9 per net in 2025. This was below average for the lake class (3.0 per net) and the second lowest catch rate recorded for Hill Lake (2018; 1.2 per net). Eight year classes of Walleye were observed ranging from age 2 to age 17. Three fish were sampled from non-stocked year classes, and the majority of other fish sampled were from fingerling-stocked year classes. Additionally, concern exists for future recruitment, as the number of Walleye age 4 and younger captured was the second lowest observed of recent surveys (2018). Walleye captured during the standard survey ranged from 10.5 to 29.5 inches in length, with an average of 16.6 inches. During the spring spawning stock assessment (electrofishing and trap netting), 149 Walleye were captured. Trap net-caught fish (74) averaged 21.6 inches and ranged from…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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.
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