Hill River
Polk County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 60014200
Hill River has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Hill River shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 60 ft; surface area 102 acres, 67 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Polk County, nearest town McIntosh; DNR lake number (DOW) 60014200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/9/1965 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | Minnesota DNR | West central shoreline. Access is sandy and eroding. - Parking available for approximately six rigs. |
| CA | TOW | - Off townshipe road on extreme southwest shore; adjacent to outlet dam. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 50.00 | 300 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 4.67 | 28 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 3.17 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | 50-ft beach seine | 2.67 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | 50-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 13.44 | 121 | 0.32 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 12.22 | 110 | 0.14 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 9.33 | 84 | 0.20 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 1.68 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.15 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.19 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 2.20 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 2.45 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 12.71 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 4.24 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 0.85 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Backpack electrofishing | 0.85 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 0.85 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 0.85 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 12.50 | 25 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 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 Hill River Lake was conducted on June 24th-25th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sampling stations, but two stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample six stations, a 15-foot seine was used to sample two stations, and site conditions (i.e., dense aquatic vegetation) prevented the use of seines at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured 11 species of fish including no species that are intolerant of disturbance and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead and Fathead Minnow). A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted by LBMA Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured nine species of fish, including one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead). Bluegill and Black Bullhead comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and Bluegill comprised a majority of the trap net catch by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a July 2024 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). 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. In addition to fish sampling, LBMA program staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Hill River Lake on June 25th, 2025, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 30 survey sites evenly spaced 150 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline Zone (the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), Shoreland Zone…
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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