Mary Lake (Douglas County)
Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21009200
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Mary Lake (Douglas County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (1,644,000 fish).
- Mary Lake (Douglas County) has 10 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2024): walleye (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 8,809,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 40 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 2,450 acres, 1,096 littoral acres, 11.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.9 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, rock bass, and 5 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Douglas County, nearest town Holmes City; DNR lake number (DOW) 21009200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/28/1955 (topo map/drg); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 1,644,000 | 15.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 12,000 | 600.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 1,644,000 | 13.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 1,644,000 | 14.6 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 15,000 | 600.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 84,000 | 0.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 1,560,000 | 15.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,000 | 600.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 2,050,000 | 19.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.5 |
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 | Minnesota DNR | Located on south side in Little Mary off Little Mary Circle SW |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Located on north side off State Highway # 27 |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 42.00 | 42 | 1.66 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 17.67 | 265 | 0.19 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 30 | 0.32 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.80 | 12 | 1.26 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.60 | 9 | 9.15 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.60 | 9 | 1.80 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.60 | 9 | 3.92 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.53 | 8 | 0.50 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.47 | 7 | 1.52 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 12.92 | 155 | 1.40 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 120 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 9.50 | 114 | 1.01 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.08 | 61 | 1.85 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.92 | 35 | 0.61 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 26 | 0.31 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.08 | 25 | 1.43 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.92 | 23 | 0.40 |
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.
Lake Mary (2,450 acres) is located five miles southwest of Alexandria. Water clarity is moderate (8 feet) and aquatic plants are common in shallow areas. Average depth is 17 feet with a maximum depth of 40 feet. Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill are common. Lake Mary has two public accesses. One is located on the southern shoreline off Lake Mary Circle SW. An additional access is located off Minnesota State Highway 27 on the northern shoreline. A standard fisheries survey was completed in August 2025 to evaluate abundance and size distribution of gamefish populations. Lake Mary supports an excellent Walleye fishery sustained through alternate year fry stockings and modest natural reproduction. The 2025 Walleye gill net catch rate (12.9 fish/net) continued a relatively stable trend over the last decade. Walleye growth is above average with fish reaching 14.0 inches at age 3. Fifty-five percent of Walleyes sampled were larger than 15.0 inches and the largest was 27.4 inches. Northern Pike abundance remained at a desirable level (5.1/gill net). Average length was 20.0 inches. The largest pike measured 32.3 inches. Anglers are reminded that new pike zone regulations were implemented in 2018. Lake Mary is located in the North-Central Zone. Anglers can now keep up to 10 pike but not more than two can be over 26 inches in length. All pike between 22-26 inches must be immediately released. Harvesting smaller pike can help shift the population towards larger individuals and reduce the number of predators for young Walleye and other gamefish Due to the lake's quality habitat attributes, Lake Mary supports a robust Largemouth Bass population. Growth rates are similar to the state-wide average with bass reaching 12.0 inches by age 4. Size structure of the electrofishing catch described a quality fishery. Eighty-six percent of the Largemouth Bass sampled during spring electrofishing were over 12.0 inches and the largest was 17.1 inches. Though trophy sized bass were not captured during spring sampling, bass over 20.0 inches were observed in summer trap nets. Bluegill catch rates of 17.7 fish/trap net were above average for Lake Mary. Gill net catch rates of 10.0 Bluegill/net were also higher than average, suggesting fish had moved offshore at the time of the August survey. Growth rates of Bluegill in Lake Mary are moderate and 6-year-old fish averaged 7.0 inches. Very few Bluegill over 8 inches were caught during the survey with the largest fish measuring under 8.5 inches. Similar to the Bluegill catch, a majority of Black Crappie were captured…
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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