Koronis (main lake)
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73020002
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Koronis (main lake) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (1,082,016 fish).
- Koronis (main lake) has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 8,098,023 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 132 ft, mean depth 29 ft; surface area 2,968 acres, 1,176 littoral acres, 15.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, golden redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and 10 more.
- 5 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Paynesville; DNR lake number (DOW) 73020002.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/8/1968 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 1,082,016 | 10.6 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 403,817 | 4.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 1,201,133 | 11.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 1,002,003 | 9.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 968,348 | 9.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 1,138,297 | 10.1 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 503,406 | 4.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 1,084,199 | 11.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 714,804 | 7.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Norman Dahlman Access is a large access located in the inlet bay (east side of lake) southwest of Highway 55. - Two ramps and ample parking. Shore fishing opportunities possible near the Hwy 55 bridge. |
| gravel ramp | TOW | Putzke Access is a small access on north side of the north bay off County Road #181. - Primarily winter access, limited parking along the township road, no turn around and narrow entrance. |
| concrete ramp | TOW | Tim Adams Access is a small access on the west side of the lake east of the Tri-County Road (County Roads #20 and #39). - Large concrete ramp, limited parking along the township road, back in off of the road. |
| concrete ramp | county | Community Park Access is on the south side of the lake in Tri-County Regional Park. - Limited turn around, parking is located up a large hill about 100 yards from the boat landing. |
| concrete ramp | city | Veterans Park Access on the east side of the north bay across the road from the park. - One ramp with adequate parking in Veteran's Park (75 yards from the ramp), back in access. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 155.00 | 155 | 0.09 |
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 fall night electrofishing survey was conducted for young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye on Koronis during October 23, 2025. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e. spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e. standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e. lake survey gillnets, trapnets, and spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). Four electrofishing stations were sampled for a total of 60 minutes. The water temperature was 50.0 F. Clarity was good (3 feet plus). Submergent vegetation density was light. We observed abundant numbers of Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and YOY Yellow Perch. We also observed moderate numbers of Northern Pike, White Sucker, Rocke Bass and Smallmouth Bass in the 2025 fall night electrofishing survey. Koronis is a large (2,968 acres), deep (132 feet maximum), and productive lake located primarily in Stearns County. Koronis is a popular fishery for Walleye, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Tullibee and Bluegill. Koronis receives moderate recreational use during the summer months. The largest inlet is the North Fork of the Crow River, which enters Koronis along the east shore and outlets near the southeast corner. The greatest volume of nutrient loading is delivered to Koronis via the North Fork of the Crow River. Water levels were above normal during 2025. Zebra Mussels were found in 2022 and currently covering most of the hard substrates. An invasive algal species, starry stonewort, was found primarily in the east and outlet bays of Koronis in 2015 and near the south access of Rice Lake in 2016. Efforts to chemically eradicate starry stonewort had been unsuccessful in Koronis. Starry Stonewort has presently spread throughout the lake. However, Starry Stonewort densities appeared less in 2025 due to high water and potential impacts from Zebra Mussels. Aquatic vegetation densities are variable yearly in the lake. Rice Lake is upstream and connects to Lake Koronis via the North Fork of the Crow River. In the past, Walleye from both Rice and Koronis have spawned in the North Fork of the Crow River upstream of Rice Lake. A Walleye egg take station was operated just upstream of Rice Lake in the Crow River from the 1970's to 1992. However, this Walleye spawning run now appears to be considerably reduced. This is based on anecdotal…
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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