Kinbrae Lake
Nobles County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 53001600
DNR records show 15 stocking entries at Kinbrae Lake since 2016, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (152 fish).
- Kinbrae Lake has 15 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (7), northern pike (4), bluegill sunfish (2), largemouth bass (1), and 1 more species.
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,693 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 7 ft; surface area 98 acres, 94 littoral acres, 2.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Nobles County, nearest town Kinbrae; DNR lake number (DOW) 53001600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 152 | 95.0 |
| 2024 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 340 | 131.0 |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 540 | 60.0 |
| 2023 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 38 | 64.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,545 | 103.0 |
| 2023 | Yellow Perch | adults | 175 | 25.0 |
| 2022 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 1,054 | 264.3 |
| 2021 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 47 | 28.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 949 | 146.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 18 | 9.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 447 | 30.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 434 | 63.0 |
| 2016 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 564 | 94.0 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 886 | 11.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 148 | 148.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | UKN | GRAVEL ACCESS OFF COUNTY ROAD AT SOUTH END OF THE LAKE. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard electrofishing | 28.00 | 28 | 0.29 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 25.00 | 25 | 0.44 |
| Northern pike | Standard electrofishing | 14.00 | 14 | 0.55 |
| Black bullhead | Standard electrofishing | 14.00 | 14 | 0.31 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard electrofishing | 13.00 | 13 | 0.21 |
| Yellow perch | Standard electrofishing | 6.00 | 6 | 0.04 |
| Walleye | Standard electrofishing | 2.00 | 2 | 0.25 |
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.
Kinbrae Lake is a 120-acre, class 43 lake, located near the City of Kinbrae in Nobles County. Historically, Kinbrae Lake has been prone to winterkills, with the last major winterkill occurring during the winter of 2022-2023. Since the winterkill, Kinbrae Lake has been stocked with Largemouth Bass (2023), Northern Pike (2024), Walleye (2023), Bluegill (2023), and Yellow Perch (2023) to reestablish gamefish populations. Kinbrae Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch, and secondarily for Walleye, Largemouth Bass, and Sunfish. A targeted daytime electrofishing survey was conducted June 3, 2024, to determine species present. During 1-hour of electrofishing, 7 species were sampled. Bluegill were most common (n=28) followed by Largemouth Bass (N=25), Northern Pike (N=14), Black Bullhead (N=14), Pumpkinseed Sunfish (N=13), Yellow Perch (N=6), and Walleye (N=2). Habitat favored Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and Northern Pike with thick aquatic vegetation and clear water. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 3.7 to 16.4 inches with 2 distinct size ranges of smaller (3.5 to 5.5 inches) and larger (12 to 16 inches) fish indicating some reproduction and quality size adults. Also, Bluegill ranged from 2.1 to 8.0 inches showing excellent growth and reproduction after stocking leading to a budding fishery. Most Bluegill were 6 to 8 inches. Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and Yellow Perch were all on the smaller side with Northern Pike ranging from 12 to 16 inches, Pumpkinseed Sunfish ranging from 5.4 to 7.4 inches, and Yellow Perch ranging from 4.5 to 5.2 inches. Black Bullhead remained after the winterkill and appeared to be maintaining a population of healthy fish ranging from 3.0 to 9.4 inches. Predator stocking and competition for food with other stocked fish will be the only way to manage for lower numbers of Black Bullhead into the future. Fish management of Kinbrae Lake is dependent on winterkill and habitat conditions of the fish community. Predators (Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike) and sunfish should be added regularly to create a boom-and-bust put-and-take fishery for local anglers. Habitat can be excellent, at times, for Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Northern Pike and can create great angling for those species. Additionally, Yellow Perch or Walleye could be added when habitat is less favorable for the other managed species and vegetation densities are lower or lacking all together. Funding opportunities to increase recreation on Kinbrae Lake will be explored. Potential may exist to add a fishing pier on…
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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