Horseshoe Lake (Chisago County)
Chisago County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 13007300
Horseshoe Lake (Chisago County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Horseshoe Lake (Chisago County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 53 ft, mean depth 13 ft; surface area 224 acres, 112 littoral acres, 4.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Chisago County, nearest town Harris; DNR lake number (DOW) 13007300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/26/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - Public access on the southwest end of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 95.69 | 172 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 44.51 | 80 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 21.14 | 38 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Backpack electrofishing | 10.01 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 7.79 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 7.79 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 3.34 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 2.23 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 63.75 | 255 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 18.25 | 73 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 11.50 | 46 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 9.75 | 39 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 7.50 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 4.00 | 16 | 0.00 |
| LED | 50-ft beach seine | 3.50 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 2.50 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | 15-ft beach seine | 9.67 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 8.67 | 26 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 5.67 | 17 | 0.00 |
| LED | 15-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | 15-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 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 Horseshoe Lake was conducted on August 28, 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 or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations with 5 stations sampled from the boat. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at three stations. Three other stations were not seined due to deep and soft sediments. Nearshore sampling captured 11 species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (Least Darter) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a July 2025 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, Least Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish 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 web site. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Horseshoe Lake is adversely impacted by stressors, as indicated by an FIBI score below the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings which indicated that Horseshoe Lake is impaired for aquatic life use. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Lower St. Croix River watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Horseshoe Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
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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