Ida Lake (Douglas County)
Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21012300
DNR records show 27 stocking entries at Ida Lake (Douglas County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (875,500 fish).
- Ida Lake (Douglas County) has 27 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (27).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 10,209,081 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 106 ft, mean depth 28 ft; surface area 4,445 acres, 1,751 littoral acres, 22.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 7 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Douglas County, nearest town Leaf Valley; DNR lake number (DOW) 21012300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/2/1979 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 875,500 | 8.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 875,500 | 8.3 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 22,500 | 750.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 22,500 | 750.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 875,500 | 7.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 12,277 | 876.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 875,500 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 594 | 297.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 875,500 | 7.4 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,554 | 859.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 14,000 | 1,000.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | fingerlings | 220 | 46.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 475,500 | 4.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 12,000 | 1,000.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 400,000 | 4.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 9,597 | 848.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 12,500 | 1,000.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 20 | 20.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 11,429 | 659.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 875,500 | 8.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 875,500 | 8.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 110 | 5.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 17 | 17.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 268 | 134.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 3,022,000 | 29.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 51,000 | 0.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 12,495 | 833.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | Minnesota DNR | |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | |
| concrete ramp | TOW |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 57.50 | 115 | 1.09 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 1.50 | 3 | 0.68 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 24.47 | 367 | 0.12 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 5.20 | 78 | 0.24 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 4.87 | 73 | 0.19 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 15 | 0.44 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.80 | 12 | 0.82 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.73 | 11 | 2.79 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 10 | 3.05 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.47 | 7 | 0.49 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 9.42 | 113 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 7.75 | 93 | 0.90 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.33 | 88 | 1.90 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 60 | 0.66 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 54 | 3.26 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 54 | 1.16 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.75 | 45 | 0.60 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.25 | 39 | 0.11 |
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.
Lake Ida is a 4,432-acre, moderately fertile basin located northwest of Alexandria. Maximum depth exceeds 100 feet. Mean depth is approximately 28 feet. Lake Ida lies within the Long Prairie River watershed and is connected to Lake Miltona to the north and Lake Charley to the south via non-navigable channels. Water quality and clarity are considered good. Water clarity has increased since establishment of zebra mussels and often exceeds 15 feet during summer months. Residential development surrounds much of the lake. Lake Ida supports a complex fish community due to good water quality and exceptional habitat diversity such as shallow bays, rock bars, abundant mid-lake structure, and vast areas of emergent and submergent vegetation. This lake is a popular destination for both anglers and recreational boaters. Recreational pressure can be heavy, especially on weekend days during summer months. Three access sites are available for public use. Two on the east shore and one on the north. The north access has limited parking and is relatively shallow. Launching of large boats at this site can be challenging, especially during low water periods. Boaters should also be cautious of shallow rock bars off the following points: Pilgrim and Stony (the two points that separate the north and south portions of the lake) and Betsy Ross (the point entering the northwest bay). These areas are typically posted with caution signs. Primary fish management efforts are focused on Walleye with bass and sunfish being species of secondary management importance. A standard fisheries survey was completed in 2023 to assess the fish community and gain updated estimates of abundance and size structure of gamefish populations. Lake Ida is well known as a quality Walleye fishery. Walleye abundance (7.3 fish/gill net) has increased since the record-low level that was documented in 2019. Higher abundance can be attributed to increased survival and recruitment of young fish in recent years. Approximately 84% of the gill net sample was comprised of Walleye age 4 or younger. The dominant 2019 year class accounted for almost 60% of gill net captures. Mean size of Walleye captured in 2023 was 17.2 inches and 1.9 pounds. Lake Ida supports both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass populations. Largemouth Bass are more abundant but average size of Smallmouth Bass tends to be larger. Maximum lengths of bass sampled in 2023 were 17.7 inches for Largemouth and 18.5 inches for Smallmouth. Panfish populations, particularly Bluegill and Black Crappie, are abundant. Current size structure for Bluegill is…
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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