Howard Lake (Wright County)
Wright County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86019900
DNR records show 15 stocking entries at Howard Lake (Wright County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (159,541 fish).
- Howard Lake (Wright County) has 15 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2017-2025): walleye (14), bluegill sunfish (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 493,832 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 39 ft, mean depth 16 ft; surface area 745 acres, 318 littoral acres, 4.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 4 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Wright County, nearest town Howard Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 86019900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/25/1959 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 159,541 | 1.6 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 297 | 103.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,978 | 285.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 40 | 52.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 115.4 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 6,513 | 333.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 305,050 | 2.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 624 | 139.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,332 | 179.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 120.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,528 | 392.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 264 | 33.0 |
| 2018 | Bluegill Sunfish1 | adults | 1,000 | 100.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,000 | 64.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,665 | 349.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 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 | Lions Park access on southeast side of lake lake off of US Hwy 12. |
| concrete ramp | TOW | Small access with limted parking on north side of lake off of County Hwy 6. |
| concrete ramp | city | Southwest side of lake- near Memorial Park. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 140.17 | 1,682 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 137.75 | 1,653 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 129.42 | 1,553 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 57.17 | 686 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 49.75 | 597 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 39.08 | 469 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 15.58 | 187 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 13.58 | 163 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 93.61 | 146 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 48.73 | 76 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 32.70 | 51 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 19.88 | 31 | 0.00 |
| Brown bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 10.26 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 7.69 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 7.05 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 3.21 | 5 | 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 Howard Lake, was conducted on July 29-July 31st, 2024, by Area Fisheries 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 14 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 12 stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at 0 stations. Seining was not completed at IBI 5 and 8 due to dense vegetation and deep water. Nearshore sampling captured 18 species of fish including 1 species that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Iowa Darter and 2 that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an August 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., Iowa Darter), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). 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. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Howard 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 Howard Lake is impaired for biological health. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the North Fork Crow River watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Howard 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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