May Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11048200
May Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- May Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 59 ft; surface area 143 acres, 74 littoral acres, 2.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 15.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Walker; DNR lake number (DOW) 11048200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/22/1953 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | USF | Long Lake public access - travel through channel to May Lake |
| earthen ramp | city | off dirt road on north end of lake - limited parking |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 76.12 | 609 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 6.00 | 48 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 2.62 | 21 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 50-ft beach seine | 2.25 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 1.88 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 1.38 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 0.88 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 53.76 | 56 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 11.52 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 7.68 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 7.68 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 2.88 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 1.92 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 0.96 | 1 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 0.96 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 21.22 | 191 | 0.11 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 3.33 | 30 | 0.37 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.25 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.38 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.68 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.25 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.79 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.20 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 11.50 | 23 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
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 May Lake was conducted on July 25-27, 2022 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Nearshore sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations, and a 15-foot seine was used to sample two stations due to difficult site conditions including abundant lilies out to deep water along the shoreline. Nearshore sampling captured 15 species of fish including abundant numbers of seven species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Mimic Shiner, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass) and no species that are classified as tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted by IBI Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill and Rock Bass comprised a majority of the trap net catch by biomass, with Bluegill most abundant by number. The number of Bluegill sampled per net was just below the 50% quartile for similar Lake Class 31 lakes and the average length was 5.0 inches, with 14% over 7 inches. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a July 2020 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., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Common Carp and Green Sunfish). 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. Data from this survey indicates May Lake is healthy as indicated by an exceptionally high FIBI score, well above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use 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…
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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