McCormick Lake
Pine County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 58005800
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at McCormick Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (100,000 fish).
- McCormick Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 900,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 17 ft; surface area 61 acres, 53 littoral acres, 1.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Pine County, nearest town Willow River; DNR lake number (DOW) 58005800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 400,000 | 3.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 1.8 |
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 | Gravel driveway. Parking for six rigs. |
DNR fish survey, 2009
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 6.67 | 60 | 0.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.15 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.15 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.81 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.24 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.12 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 12 | 2.01 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 8 | 0.10 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 0.14 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 2.86 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.24 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 1.57 | 1 | 3.86 |
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.
McCormick Lake, also known as Third Lake, is a small lake located in northern Pine County just east of Willow River, MN. Despite the lakes abundance of shallow water acreage, a fish winterkill has never been documented. The entire shoreline and immediate watershed surrounding McCormick Lake is characterized by undeveloped forest or woodland and marshland. Currently, the property around most of the shoreline is state owned. State forest land makes up most of the surrounding acreage while a general use Aquatic Management Area (AMA) makes up a buffer strip around the lakes shoreline. Activities allowed on general use AMA's includes angling, wildlife observation, hunting, trapping, and collection of edible seeds, fruits or mushrooms for personal use. Dogs are allowed to enter these areas, but operation of motorized vehicles is not allowed. A public boat launch is located on the northwest end of the lake. The fish population in McCormick Lake is managed for northern pike primarily with bluegill sunfish, black crappie, and largemouth bass as the secondary management species. A standard lake survey was conducted during the week of July 06, 2009 to evaluate the current status of the fish population, the physical, chemical, and biological factors concerning habitat, and the water quality. Evaluation of the fish population utilized spring night electrofishing, two gill nets, and nine trap nets. Northern pike were normal in both numbers and size for this lake type. Pike lengths extended from 14.3 to 27.4 inches. Spring night electrofishing sampled only one largemouth bass, down from 19 in 1999. Both bluegill sunfish and black crappie were found at normal abundance levels. Lengths extended from 3.7 to 6.6 and 4.4 to 10.4 inches respectively. Average size was below normal levels for both fish species. Yellow perch abundance has historically been low in McCormack Lake. The 2009 assessment was no exception. Perch ranged from 6.0 to 7.1 inches in length. Other fish species present during the 2009 survey included brown bullhead, white sucker, hybrid sunfish, and pumpkinseed sunfish.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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