Man Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11028200
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Man Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (698 fish).
- Man Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,900 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 93 ft; surface area 491 acres, 44 littoral acres, 4.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Hackensack; DNR lake number (DOW) 11028200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/6/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 698 | 45.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,440 | 45.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 512 | 32.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 675 | 45.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,575 | 45.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| C | - | channel from Baby Lake - wide enough for a small boat |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 50.40 | 56 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 7.20 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 4.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 3.60 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 2.70 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 2.70 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 1.80 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Mottled sculpin | Backpack electrofishing | 1.80 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 33.44 | 301 | 0.00 |
| Common shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 11.33 | 102 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 9.00 | 81 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 1.89 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.11 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 0.67 | 6 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 0.44 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 26.22 | 236 | 0.11 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 4.00 | 36 | 0.18 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.16 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.36 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.16 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 7.23 |
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 survey of nearshore fish species in Man Lake was conducted on July 5-7, 2022, by DNR Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station due to thick submergent and emergent vegetation. Nearshore sampling captured 15 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Mottled Sculpin, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. A summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff on July 5-6, 2022. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured six species of fish, including one that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number and by biomass. The nearshore and trap net were combined with gill net data from a 2019 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., Iowa Darter, Banded Killifish, and Smallmouth Bass), 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 Man Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that meets the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Leech Lake River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
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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