Middle Jefferson Lake
Le Sueur County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 40009204
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Middle Jefferson Lake since 2016, most recently northern pike fry in 2025 (25,000 fish).
- Middle Jefferson Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): northern pike (4), walleye (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,413,474 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 8 ft; surface area 667 acres, 667 littoral acres, 5.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, longnose gar, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 3 more.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Le Sueur County, nearest town Marysburg; DNR lake number (DOW) 40009204.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/12/1968 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northern Pike | fry | 25,000 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | Northern Pike | fry | 25,155 | 0.8 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 705,000 | 5.6 |
| 2017 | Northern Pike | fry | 25,000 | 0.7 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 708,474 | 6.5 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fry | 55,426 | 0.9 |
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.
DNR fish survey, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 70.20 | 351 | 0.10 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 16.00 | 80 | 0.85 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 10.60 | 53 | 0.21 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 8.60 | 43 | 1.19 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 7.60 | 38 | 0.13 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 6.20 | 31 | 0.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.60 | 28 | 3.05 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 5.40 | 27 | 2.15 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 58.37 | 85 | 0.82 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 50.71 | 355 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 20.43 | 143 | 0.29 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 9.86 | 69 | 1.13 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard trap nets | 6.43 | 45 | 2.59 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 2.29 | 16 | 3.61 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 1.57 | 11 | 10.63 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.14 | 8 | 0.16 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.86 | 6 | 2.18 |
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 Jefferson Lake is a 705-acre lake located approximately 3 miles south southeast of Cleveland in Le Sueur County. No public boat ramps are located on the lake. Access is available via the channel connecting it to East Jefferson Lake where there is a DNR-maintained ramp located on the east side off Beaver Dam Road. The lake is a shallow, hypereutrophic lake characterized by low water clarity and excessive algae caused by the presence of nutrients such as phosphorus in the water. It is designated as an infested water body due to the establishment of Eurasian Watermilfoil. Given the maximum depth of 8 feet and elevated nutrient levels, Middle Jefferson Lake has been prone to periodic winterkill events in the past although none have occurred recently. The lake is primarily managed for Bluegill and Black Crappie and secondarily for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye. The current management plan calls for stocking Walleye fry at a rate of 1,000 per littoral acre in odd years and Northern Pike fry annually. Middle Jefferson Lake is managed along with West and East Jefferson Lakes and German Lake as part of a chain of lakes known collectively as the Jefferson Chain. Since these lakes are openly connected to one another, fish migration must be considered and management is coordinated as such. A standard survey was conducted the week of July 16, 2018 as part of a regularly scheduled monitoring program conducted by the Minnesota DNR. A standard survey is used for sampling a wide range of fish species during the summer months using standard methods (i.e. standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e. lake survey gillnets, trap nets, and spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). The survey was completed to assess the fish community using 5 gill nets, 7 trap nets, and 87 minutes of boat electrofishing. Water quality parameters were also measured. Bluegill were the most commonly sampled fish with the trap nets with a catch rate of 50.7/net, which indicated high numbers were present. In three surveys since 2008, this was the largest catch rate on record. The average catch rate during that time was 33.6/net. Lengths ranged from 2.8 to 8.2 inches with an average of 6.0 inches. An additional 53 Bluegills ranging from 3.7 to 8.8 inches were sampled with gill nets. Approximately 60% of the sample was 4 years old. Although size structure could improve, Middle Jefferson Lake supports a healthy Bluegill population. Black Crappies were the most common fish sampled with gill…
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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