Lotus Lake
Carver County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 10000600
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Lotus Lake since 2017, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (997 fish).
- Lotus Lake has 7 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 16,157 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 29 ft; surface area 245 acres, 182 littoral acres, 4.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Carver County, nearest town Chanhassen; DNR lake number (DOW) 10000600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/25/1980 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 997 | 353.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 278 | 139.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 6,356 | 440.4 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,995 | 57.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 6,459 | 367.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 9 | 13.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 63 | 105.0 |
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 | city | - City-owned access on south end of lake; 12 listed parking spaces on top of hill and across street. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 213.44 | 1,921 | 0.04 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 10.56 | 95 | 0.18 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.56 | 32 | 0.33 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 2.22 | 20 | 1.82 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 1.22 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.65 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.19 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 27.50 | 165 | 0.24 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 10.50 | 63 | 2.42 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 9.33 | 56 | 0.10 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.83 | 35 | 0.19 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 27 | 3.86 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 20 | 1.32 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 1.38 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.13 |
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.
Lotus is a 245-acre (182 littoral acres) lake with a maximum depth of 29 feet. Lotus is located north of Chanhassen in northeastern Carver County. Lotus is primarily managed for Walleye and Largemouth Bass but also supports catchable populations of Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike. Walleye fingerlings are stocked in odd numbered years at a rate of 2 pounds per littoral acre (364). Public water access (concreate ramp; up to 10 vehicle/trailer parking spaces) is located on the southeast side of the lake off state highway 101 and is maintained by the City of Chanhassen. A Standard Survey (9 trap nets/6 gill nets) was conducted on Lotus Lake during the week of 6/30/2025 to monitor water characteristics and fish populations. Water color was brown/green, with moderate water clarity, measured at 8 feet during the time of this survey. Dissolved oxygen fell to zero parts per million at 20 feet, meaning fish would be unable to use water depths greater than 20 feet during mid-summer. Eurasian Watermilfoil, Brittle Naiad, and Zebra Mussels have been found in Lotus Lake and remain present, providing a good reminder of the clean, drain, dispose law which helps to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species: Clean all aquatic plants, zebra mussels, and other invasive species from boats, trailers, and water-related equipment. Drain water from your boat, ballast tanks, motor, live well and bait container. Remove drain plugs and keep drain plugs out while transporting equipment. Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash. To keep live bait, drain the water and refill the bait container with bottled or tap water. High numbers of Walleye were sampled with gill nets (10.5/net), above the expected catch rate of similar lakes. The 2025 catch rate was the highest recorded on Lotus Lake in the previous 30 years. There were 63 Walleye sampled in gill nets, with an average length of 18.8 inches and the largest measured at 25.8 inches. Size structure remains balanced (an intermediate between high numbers of small fish and few numbers of large fish). Walleye growth in Lotus was fast early on and slowed at older ages, indicated by an average length of 17.5 inches by age 3 and 19.9 inches by age 6. High catch rates and desirable sizes should provide excellent angling opportunity for Walleye in Lotus Lake. Largemouth Bass are present in Lotus Lake, although targeted boat-electrofishing did not occur during the 2025 survey. Incidental capture with trap and gill nets caught 11 Largemouth Bass, with an average length of 12.1 inches and the largest measured at 16.4 inches. Very…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.