Irene Lake

Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21007600

DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Irene Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (5,254 fish).

• Irene Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (10).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 71,673 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 44 ft, mean depth 20 ft; surface area 639 acres, 240 littoral acres, 4.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.5 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, tullibee (cisco), and 4 more.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: August 3, 2022 (targeted survey).
• Douglas County, nearest town Miltona; DNR lake number (DOW) 21007600.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/20/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. ² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2022

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 summer trap net survey in Irene Lake was conducted by DNR Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff on August 3-5, 2022. Twelve trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 10 species of fish, including one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Northern Pike, Hybrid Sunfish, and Pumpkinseed comprised a majority by biomass. The trap net data were combined with nearshore and gill net data from a 2020 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 Cisco), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Fathead Minnow). 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 indicate that the fish community in Irene Lake is likely impacted by stressors as indicated by an FIBI score that is near the general use threshold determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Long Prairie Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, August 3, 2022.

All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder