Middle Cormorant Lake
Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03060200
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Middle Cormorant Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2023 (4,830 fish).
- Middle Cormorant Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2023): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 151,645 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 40 ft; surface area 373 acres, 144 littoral acres, 3.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Becker County, nearest town Lake Park; DNR lake number (DOW) 03060200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/19/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,830 | 147.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 2,212 | 144.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 274 | 92.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 329 | 108.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 144,000 | 1.2 |
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 the west bay off CSAH 4. - Parking available for approximately 10 rigs. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 32.33 | 291 | 0.16 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.33 | 30 | 0.30 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.89 | 26 | 0.60 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 3.63 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 2.61 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.67 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.97 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.28 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 27.89 | 251 | 0.38 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 26.11 | 235 | 0.29 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.33 | 57 | 2.32 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 30 | 2.16 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 24 | 1.62 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.44 | 22 | 0.40 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 15 | 2.18 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.19 |
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.
Middle Cormorant Lake is a 373-acre lake located in southwestern Becker County 13 miles south of the city of Lake Park. The lake possesses a heavily developed shoreline and receives high recreational use and fishing pressure from the surrounding area. The lake maintains a navigable channel to Nelson and Upper Cormorant Lake and a non-navigable connection to downstream Big Cormorant Lake. Zebra mussels were discovered in the lake in 2019. Middle Cormorant Lake provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Walleye, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Middle Cormorant Lake in August 2021. Catch rates of Walleye have remained low in Middle Cormorant Lake since the 1977 survey. Spawning habitat suited for Walleye is limited in the lake, therefore the fishery is sustained through periodic fingerling stocking. Gill nets captured an average of three Walleye per net in 2021. Sampled Walleye ranged in length from 9.4 to 25.6 inches, averaging 17.6 inches long. Northern Pike catch rates were below average in 2021. On average, roughly six pike per gill net were captured. Sampled pike ranged in length from 12.7 to 31.5 inches and averaged 21.3 inches long. Of the sampled pike, 34.5% were greater than or equal to 24 inches in length, revealing a fair number of quality sized fish. Bluegill abundance in 2021 was below average with trap nets catching 32 fish per net. Sampled Bluegill ranged in length from 3.4 to 8.4 inches, averaging 5.8 inches long. Approximately 1% of Bluegill sampled in trap nets were eight inches or longer. Bluegill exhibited slow growth, with fish not reaching eight inches until over a decade of growth. In 2021, a total of 25 crappie were caught in combined gears ranging in length from 4.5 to 11.0 inches. Nine Largemouth Bass were caught in trap nets, ranging in length from 5.8 to 17.8 inches and averaging 9.4 inches long. Catch rates of Yellow Perch in Middle Cormorant Lake have always been historically low and no perch were caught during the 2021 survey. Additional species sampled in the 2021 survey included Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Rock Bass, Pumpkinseed, hybrid sunfish, and White Sucker. One Smallmouth Bass was captured, the first time this species has been found in the lake since a survey in 1966. Yellow Bullhead were extremely abundant in catch and were the most common among the three bullhead species. Common Carp have been documented in the lake but were not sampled during the 2021 survey. Anglers can help maintain and improve Middle Cormorant Lake's fishery…
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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