McMahon Lake
Scott County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 70005000
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at McMahon Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (1,156 fish).
- McMahon Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 9,031 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 14 ft; surface area 187 acres, 158 littoral acres, 4.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Scott County, nearest town Credit River; DNR lake number (DOW) 70005000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,156 | 68.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,875 | 75.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,000 | 53.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 125.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,000 | 142.9 |
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 | - State owned access on northwest side in small bay. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 52.60 | 263 | 0.11 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 29.60 | 148 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 28.80 | 144 | 2.05 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 21.80 | 109 | 0.09 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.40 | 27 | 3.32 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.20 | 11 | 1.66 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 10 | 0.11 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.60 | 8 | 1.86 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 42.00 | 378 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 14.67 | 132 | 0.11 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.11 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.07 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.21 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 1.16 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 2.12 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.09 |
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.
McMahon is a 187-acre (158 littoral acres) lake with a maximum depth of 14 feet. McMahon is located south of the City of Prior Lake in southeast Scott County. McMahon is primarily managed for Bluegill and Largemouth but includes catchable populations of Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Walleye. Public water access (concreate ramp; up to 9 vehicle/trailer parking spaces) is located on the northwest side of the lake off of county road 87 and is maintained by DNR Parks and Trails. A Standard Survey (9 trap nets/5 gill nets) was conducted on McMahon Lake during the week of 6/23/2025 to monitor water characteristics and fish populations. Water color was brown/green, with moderate water clarity, measured at 7 feet during the time of this survey. Dissolved oxygen fell to two parts per million at 14 feet. Eurasian Watermilfoil has been identified in McMahon Lake and remains 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 Bluegill were sampled with trap nets (42.0/net), well above the expected catch rate of similar lakes. There were 378 Bluegill sampled in trap nets during the 2025 survey, with an average length of 5.3 inches and the largest measured at 9.4 inches. Despite high catch rates, Bluegill growth in McMahon was fast compared to similar lakes, indicated by an average length of 5.9 inches by age 3 and 7.8 inches by age 5. Multiple nine-inch Bluegill were sampled during the 2025 survey, demonstrating the potential for a tremendous fishery. Largemouth Bass are present in McMahon Lake, although targeted boat-electrofishing did not occur during the 2025 survey. Incidental capture with trap and gill nets caught 20 Largemouth Bass, with an average length of 12.9 inches and the largest measured at 17.7 inches. Future surveys will include a targeted spring boat-electrofishing component. High numbers of Black Crappie were sampled with gill nets (52.6/net) and trap nets (14.7/net) above the expected catch rates for both gears. There were 302 Black Crappie sampled during the 2025 survey, with an average length of 6.3 inches and the largest measured at 10.9 inches. Over…
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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