Mina Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21010800
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Mina Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (671 fish).
- Mina Lake has 11 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2024): walleye (11).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 9,280 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 123 ft, mean depth 28 ft; surface area 411 acres, 158 littoral acres, 6.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 6 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Douglas County, nearest town Garfield; DNR lake number (DOW) 21010800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 5/22/1987 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 671 | 316.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 5,070 | 316.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 226 | 113.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 317 | 317.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 50 | 50.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 767 | 445.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 486 | 40.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 25 | 25.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,360 | 130.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 288 | 189.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 20 | 11.0 |
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 |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 85.85 | 93 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 51.69 | 56 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 22.15 | 24 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 17.54 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 15.69 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 10.15 | 11 | 0.00 |
| LED | Backpack electrofishing | 6.46 | 7 | 0.00 |
| PGS | Backpack electrofishing | 4.62 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 62.57 | 438 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 50-ft beach seine | 25.14 | 176 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 11.14 | 78 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 5.14 | 36 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 5.00 | 35 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 4.86 | 34 | 0.00 |
| Brook stickleback | 50-ft beach seine | 4.71 | 33 | 0.00 |
| PGS | 50-ft beach seine | 4.29 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.00 | 72 | 0.14 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.67 | 33 | 0.32 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.64 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.34 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 2.08 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.17 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.98 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.84 |
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 the nearshore fish community in Mina Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff from 11-13 July 2023. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sites with two sites sampled from the boat. A 50-foot seine was used to sample seven sites and soft sediments with abundant vegetation and deep water prevented the use of seines at three sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 21 native species of fish including six species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, and Pugnose Shiner) and one species (Green Sunfish) that is tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted on 11-13 July 2023 by IBI Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill, Hybrid Sunfish, and Yellow Bullhead comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and Northern Pike, Walleye, and Yellow Bullhead comprised a majority of the catch by biomass. The number of Bluegill sampled per net was about the 25% quartile for similar Lake Class 25 lakes and the average length was 5.3 inches, with 21% 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., Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, 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. An additional survey was completed on Mina Lake in July 2022 resulting in a similar FIBI score. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey indicates an exceptional fish community is present in Mina Lake and it is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score well above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use…
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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