Minnetonka Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 27013300
DNR records show 35 stocking entries at Minnetonka Lake since 2016, most recently muskellunge yearlings in 2025 (1,170 fish).
- Minnetonka Lake has 35 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (21), muskellunge (14).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 790,545 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 113 ft, mean depth 30 ft; surface area 14,206 acres, 5,849 littoral acres, 133.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.5 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.
- 10 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hennepin County, nearest town Mound; DNR lake number (DOW) 27013300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1949 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Muskellunge | yearlings | 1,170 | 1,037.7 |
| 2025 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 10,500 | 1,500.0 |
| 2024 | Muskellunge | yearlings | 82 | 116.1 |
| 2024 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 2,515 | 586.5 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,983 | 1,352.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,246 | 1,476.8 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 52,870 | 3,406.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 25,200 | 2,100.0 |
| 2023 | Muskellunge | yearlings | 438 | 427.3 |
| 2023 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 1,611 | 317.3 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 357 | 60.9 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge | adults | 3 | 27.5 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge9 | yearlings | 856 | 907.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 17,152 | 1,072.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 117,189 | 5,340.7 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 2,306 | 650.5 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | adults | 266 | 994.8 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge1 | fingerlings | 500 | 138.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 6,400 | 1,600.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 6,400 | 1,600.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 81,050 | 2,782.0 |
| 2019 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 1,063 | 182.3 |
| 2019 | Muskellunge1 | fingerlings | 2,362 | 566.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 77,920 | 3,896.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 10,500 | 1,500.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | adults | 2,500 | 500.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 3,360 | 840.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 146,020 | 5,353.1 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,600 | 660.0 |
| 2017 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 2,925 | 641.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 12,040 | 1,720.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,860 | 347.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,040 | 102.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 157,715 | 5,631.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 32,000 | 4,200.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking. 9 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by DNR and other agencies or 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 | county | Spring Park Bay Access - Two-ramp lane next to Hennepin County Sheriff Water Patrol station, Spring Park. Off-site overflow parking. |
| asphalt ramp | city | Cook's Bay Access |
| concrete ramp | city | Gray's Bay Access - City of Minnetonka-DNR co-op; City-run marina also on site. |
| concrete ramp | county | North Arm Access |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Maxwell Bay Access |
| concrete ramp | city | Carson's Bay Access - Bay is slow/no-wake. City of Deephaven-required permit to park for most of open-water season. |
| concrete ramp | city | Wayzata Bay Access - Lower Lake-- narrow public launch within Wayzata yacht club; limited parking on shoulder across street. |
| concrete ramp | county | Three Rivers Park District-Lake Minnetonka Regional Park - Upper Lake- West Upper Lake. Operated by Three Rivers Park District; overnight closures. Fee/permit to park boat-trailer combos on site. |
| earthen ramp | city | City of Minnetrista-run access with limited parking |
| earthen ramp | city | City of Minnetrista-run access for canoes & other carry-in craft. Closed overnight. Contact City for more information |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 92.04 | 2,209 | 0.15 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 13.25 | 318 | 0.28 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 5.21 | 125 | 0.22 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 3.96 | 95 | 0.54 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.88 | 45 | 0.33 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 27 | 0.24 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.04 | 25 | 0.90 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.71 | 17 | 0.96 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 31.71 | 761 | 0.20 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 12.17 | 292 | 2.56 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 8.79 | 211 | 0.53 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 4.96 | 119 | 0.29 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.08 | 74 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.04 | 73 | 0.33 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 60 | 2.59 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 2.46 | 59 | 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.
Introduction Lake Minnetonka is a 14,206-acre lake in Hennepin County, with a maximum depth of 113 feet and an average depth of 30 feet. The lake is comprised of many connected bays and has a complex shoreline. Multiple public and private boat launches are located around Minnetonka, and the lake is popular with both anglers and recreational boaters. Naturally reproducing populations of Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass are present, and Walleye and Muskellunge populations are maintained by stocking. A Standard Survey was completed on Lake Minnetonka from June 6 through June 23, 2022. Sampling involved gill netting, trap netting, and water quality sampling. Sampling in Lake Minnetonka is distributed through three basins that differ in their habitat and water quality characteristics. Gill netting and trap netting effectively sample Northern Pike, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Bluegill and Black Crappie. The population trends of those species are described by this survey. Population trends of Largemouth Bass and Muskellunge are not described by this survey. Largemouth Bass are sampled by nighttime spring electrofishing, and Muskellunge are sampled by large-frame trap netting during the spring. These sampling methods were not done during the 2022 survey. Water Characteristics Water clarity has been improving in Lake Minnetonka over the past several decades. The Northwest Bays are most fertile, primarily because they are the first recipients of the majority of surface runoff from the watershed. The Upper Lakes are intermediate in fertility, while the Lower Lakes are, relatively, the least fertile. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District more closely monitors water quality in Lake Minnetonka. For more specific, detailed information about Lake Minnetonka water quality, see the District's website (http://www.minnehahacreek.org/data-center). Walleye Despite a long history of stocking, Walleye abundance has remained low in Lake Minnetonka. In 2022, the Walleye catch rate of 2.5 fish per gill net was higher than the 1.7 fish/net caught in 2019. Walleye catch rate has modestly increased throughout all basins. In the Lower Lakes, Walleye catch rate increased from 1.2 fish/net in 2019, to 2.8 fish/net in 2022. The Upper Lakes saw an increase in catch rate from 1.8 fish/net in 2019, to 2.0 fish/net in 2022. In the Northwest Bays, catch rate increased from 2.3 to 2.7 Walleye/net. Walleye in Minnetonka tend to be large. Length of sampled fish ranged from 10.9 to 26.4 inches. Fish averaged 19.1 inches and 2.6 pounds. Average length varied throughout the basins, with fish…
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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