Independence Lake (Hennepin County)
Hennepin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 27017600
DNR records show 21 stocking entries at Independence Lake (Hennepin County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (16,150 fish).
- Independence Lake (Hennepin County) has 21 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (16), muskellunge (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 70,924 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 58 ft; surface area 832 acres, 425 littoral acres, 7.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.8 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, muskellunge, northern pike, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hennepin County, nearest town Maple Plain; DNR lake number (DOW) 27017600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/27/1965 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 16,150 | 850.0 |
| 2024 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 425 | 58.6 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 190 | 25.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 232 | 169.5 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,083 | 276.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 582 | 137.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 294 | 88.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 11,475 | 425.0 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 425 | 112.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 20,045 | 769.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,208 | 79.3 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,700 | 425.0 |
| 2019 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 424 | 141.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,505 | 424.1 |
| 2018 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 431 | 35.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 433 | 28.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,198 | 564.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 414 | 63.7 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 175 | 307.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 240 | 60.0 |
| 2016 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 425 | 73.8 |
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 | county | - Within Baker Park; subject to Three Rivers Park District rules & hours. Fee permit to park vehicles w/attached trailer-- system-wide season passes available. No fees for shore/pier fishing. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 47.45 | 522 | 0.16 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 15.00 | 165 | 0.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 11.64 | 128 | 0.35 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 4.73 | 52 | 0.18 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.73 | 19 | 0.57 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.45 | 16 | 2.44 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.09 | 12 | 0.15 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.45 | 5 | 4.54 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 29.11 | 262 | 0.17 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 21.11 | 190 | 0.26 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 14.56 | 131 | 0.33 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 12.22 | 110 | 0.22 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.56 | 68 | 3.02 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 5.67 | 51 | 0.71 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 24 | 5.15 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.19 |
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.
Independence is an 832-acre lake located in western Hennepin County in the city of Maple Plain. Baker Park Reserve (Three Rivers Park District) borders the southeast portion of the lake and provides a two-lane concrete boat access (subject to park hours and parking fee), as well as shore fishing, a swimming beach and recreation area. Primarily managed for Walleye, Muskellunge, and Yellow Perch, Independence is a popular fishing destination. The lake is infested with Zebra mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil. Good numbers of Walleye were caught in the 2025 survey, and the fish were of healthy size. The average Walleye was 19.4 inches and 3.02 pounds, with the largest measuring 27.8 inches. Seventy-four percent of the sample were 15 inches or longer, 57% were 20 inches or longer, and 10% were 25 inches or longer. Regular stocking supports this population. Sampling for Muskellunge was not conducted in 2025; however, two Muskellunge, measuring 29.5 and 44.5 inches, were incidentally caught in the summer survey. When the lake was last surveyed for Muskellunge in 2016, fish ranged between 36.6 and 51.6 inches, with an average size of 44.4 inches and 23.96 pounds. While no Yellow Perch caught exceeded 9 inches, their abundance marks the presence of a healthy forage base for stocked predator fish. Average length and weight in 2025 were 7.5 inches and 0.2 pounds, increasing from 7.3 inches and 0.19 pounds during the 2022 survey. Additionally, 35% of the fish sampled were larger than 8 inches, increasing from 26% in 2022. Lake Independence doesn't usually have high numbers of Northern Pike, and that was true again in the 2025 summer survey. The fish were of good size, however, as 91% of the catch exceeded 21 inches, and 50% of the catch exceeded 28 inches. Bluegill and Black Crappie were caught in good numbers. The 2025 survey showed 45% of the sampled crappie exceeded 9 inches, and the largest fish was 11.4 inches. Data showed 66% of the Bluegill were larger than 6 inches and 34% were larger than 7 inches. Additionally, the largest Bluegill sampled was 8.5 inches. Electrofishing for Largemouth Bass was not conducted in 2025, however 12 fish were incidentally sampled by trap net. The fish ranged in length from 5.7 to 15.5 inches. Standard electrofishing was last conducted in the spring of 2016. At that time, 172 fish were sampled, ranging in length from 3.4 to 16.1 inches. Average size of bass in 2016 was 8.6 inches and 0.39 pounds. Other species present in lower abundance during the 2025 survey include Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead…
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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