Minnewashta Lake
Carver County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 10000900
Minnewashta Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Minnewashta Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 70 ft, mean depth 15 ft; surface area 680 acres, 371 littoral acres, 8.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 2 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Carver County, nearest town Chanhassen; DNR lake number (DOW) 10000900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/15/1954 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | county | - Two ramps within Carver County's Lake Minnewashta Regional Park on east/southeast side of lake. Open during park hours of 5 or 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Daily and seasonal passes available on-site and electronically as of summer 2016. Also a fishing pier on west shore that is part of City of Chanhassen's Roundhouse Park. |
| concrete ramp | county | - Lake Minnewashta Regional Park (East shore) South of swimming beach. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 37.82 | 416 | 0.12 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 5.91 | 65 | 0.30 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 5.55 | 61 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 3.18 | 35 | 0.67 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.73 | 8 | 0.12 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.45 | 5 | 0.99 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.45 | 5 | 0.69 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.45 | 5 | 0.28 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 17.56 | 158 | 1.77 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 14.00 | 126 | 0.65 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 13.11 | 118 | 0.15 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 6.67 | 60 | 0.28 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 30 | 0.31 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.33 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.11 | 10 | 2.17 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.60 |
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.
Minnewashta is a 738-acre (371 littoral acres) lake with a maximum depth of 70 feet. Minnewashta is located in the City of Chanhassen in northeast Carver County. Minnewashta is primarily managed for Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass but includes catchable populations of Bluegill and Black Crappie. Public water access (2 concreate ramps; up to 41 vehicle/trailer parking spaces) is located on the northeast side of the lake off county road 41 and is maintained by Carver County. A Standard Survey (11 trap nets/9 gill nets) was conducted on Lake Minnewashta during the week of 7/7/2025 to monitor water characteristics and fish populations. Water color was clear, with good water clarity, measured at 13 feet during the time of this survey. Dissolved oxygen fell to zero parts per million at 24 feet, meaning fish would be unable to use water depths greater than 12 feet during mid-summer. Eurasian Watermilfoil and Zebra Mussels have been identified in Lake Minnewashta and remain 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 Northern Pike were sampled with gill nets (17.6/net), well above the expected catch rate of similar lakes. There were 158 Northern Pike sampled in gill nets, with an average size of 20.3 inches and the largest measured at 33.2 inches. Growth was modest with an average length of 17.5 inches by age 3 and 22.0 inches by age 5. Over 75% of Northern Pike measured below the 22-26" protected slot, providing an excellent opportunity for those anglers looking to harvest their limit of 10 Northern Pike in the North-central zone. Largemouth Bass are present in Lake Minnewashta, although targeted boat-electrofishing did not occur during the 2025 survey. Incidental capture with trap and gill nets caught 15 Largemouth Bass, with an average length of 13.4 inches and the largest measured at 20.6 inches. Future surveys will include a targeted spring boat-electrofishing component. Moderate numbers of Bluegill were sampled with trap nets (37.8/net), near the average catch rate of similar lakes. There were 416 Bluegill sampled in trap nets during the 2025 survey, with…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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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