Minnewaska Lake
Pope County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 61013000
DNR records show 37 stocking entries at Minnewaska Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (2,004 fish).
- Minnewaska Lake has 37 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (37).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 30,267,715 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 32 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 8,050 acres, 3,291 littoral acres, 19.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, and 9 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Pope County, nearest town Long Beach; DNR lake number (DOW) 61013000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/12/1963 (topo map/drg); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,004 | 240.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 3,290,000 | 30.2 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 189 | 117.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 42,800 | 2,000.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 158 | 94.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,717 | 531.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 209 | 209.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 31,340 | 2,000.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 3,291,000 | 30.8 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 40,000 | 2,000.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 3,291,000 | 29.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 40,000 | 2,000.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 3,291,000 | 29.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 3,291,000 | 29.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 40,000 | 2,000.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 40,000 | 2,000.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 40,000 | 2,000.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 3,124,500 | 31.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 223,500 | 1.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 1,241,000 | 9.7 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 2,050,000 | 20.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 9,744 | 496.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 24,800 | 1,240.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 284 | 231.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 50,000 | 2,500.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 444,000 | 4.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 527 | 579.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 606 | 72.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 2,847,000 | 26.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 53 | 35.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 50,000 | 2,500.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,666,878 | 16.2 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 104 | 36.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 168 | 12.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 118 | 22.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,800,000 | 17.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 16 | 8.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and 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 | Minnesota DNR | |
| concrete ramp | city | |
| concrete ramp | city |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 14.87 | 223 | 0.36 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 10.67 | 160 | 0.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 9.07 | 136 | 1.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 8.07 | 121 | 2.60 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.67 | 85 | 1.58 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 50 | 1.30 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.93 | 44 | 0.20 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 2.47 | 37 | 0.35 |
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.
Lake Minnewaska is an 8,050-acre basin located in central Pope County between the towns of Glenwood and Starbuck. For its size, Minnewaska is relatively shallow. Maximum depth is just 32 feet. Residential development surrounds the entire lake. Lake Minnewaska outflows to Lake Emily via Outlet Creek and lies within the Chippewa River watershed. It is the largest lake within the Glenwood Management Area and is a popular destination for many anglers and recreational boaters in west-central Minnesota. Swimming is also a popular activity during summer months. Municipal swimming beaches are located in Glenwood and Starbuck. Four public accesses are available. Two occur on the northeast side of the lake near Glenwood. The access adjacent to the Glenwood swimming beach is relatively shallow and launching larger boats can be problematic, especially during low water periods. The two remaining accesses are near Starbuck, one in the marina and the other near the swimming beach. A long, shallow sand bar with rocks is located along the north shoreline in the central portion of the lake. Boaters should be cautious when navigating around this area. Lake Minnewaska supports a diverse fish community and offers a wide range of fishing opportunities. This lake is primarily managed for Walleye, with bass, pike, and sunfish being species of secondary management importance. Lake Minnewaska is a popular destination for many anglers and fishing pressure can be heavy at times, during both open water and winter seasons. To help maintain the quality of this fishery, anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while allowing the harvest of the more abundant smaller fish for eating. Releasing medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish and should provide anglers with opportunities to catch more large fish in the future. A targeted fisheries survey was completed in 2025 to assess the fish community. Walleye abundance has remained stable in recent years and elevated above survey results from 2018. Survival of small Walleye was greatly diminished following establishment of zebra mussels in 2012 and the resulting increase in water clarity. However, starting in 2019, the Walleye population began experiencing more consistent survival of those small fish. Fall electrofishing results indicated several moderate to strong year classes since 2019. Average size in 2022 was 15.8 inches and 1.6 pounds. The largest Walleye measured just shy of 24 inches. Other gamefishes targeted by anglers…
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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