Monson Lake
Swift County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 76003300
DNR records show 17 stocking entries at Monson Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (51,135 fish).
- Monson Lake has 17 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (15), yellow perch (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 462,421 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 21 ft; surface area 208 acres, 137 littoral acres, 4.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Swift County, nearest town Sunburg; DNR lake number (DOW) 76003300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/4/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 51,135 | 0.5 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 50,967 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 50,842 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,480 | 145.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 71,590 | 0.7 |
| 2022 | Yellow Perch | adults | 3,338 | 210.0 |
| 2021 | Yellow Perch | adults | 7,632 | 424.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 448 | 298.5 |
| 2020 | Walleye | adults | 70 | 139.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 28 | 1.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 231,135 | 2.3 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 29 | 39.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,441 | 370.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 112 | 155.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 128 | 64.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 504 | 21.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 512 | 256.0 |
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 | Public access in Monson State Park. - SE side of lake. State Park Sticker Required. |
| PU | Minnesota DNR | Fishing pier at public boat access site. - SE side of lake. State Park Sticker Required. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard electrofishing | 107.00 | 214 | 0.02 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 65.50 | 131 | 1.97 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 35.67 | 107 | 1.30 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.67 | 29 | 2.28 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 27 | 1.53 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 8.00 | 24 | 0.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.67 | 11 | 0.19 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 9 | 1.15 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 6 | 0.13 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 2 | 2.20 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 6.78 | 61 | 1.49 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 5.44 | 49 | 0.13 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 1.33 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 1.42 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.06 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 3.25 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.08 |
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 standard survey was conducted during late May to mid-June of 2024 in Monson Lake. Various survey components included spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass, May trapnets for Bluegill and Black Crappie, June gillnetting for all species and vegetation transects. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (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, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). Monson is a small sized (208 acres), shallow (21 feet maximum depth), and moderately productive lake located in Swift County. Monson Lake State Park is located along the east side of the lake. Residential development is limited to 5 homes and 2 recreational vehicles along the south, north and west shore areas. The public access and shore fishing pier are located on the east side in the state park. Usage of Monson State Park and the corresponding public access is generally low compared to nearby Sibley State Park on Lake Andrew. The surrounding watershed is comprised of mostly agricultural row crops with small areas of woodland, grassland, pasture, and wetland areas. The immediate shoreline area consists mostly of undeveloped woodlands (hardwood trees) with small to moderate areas of wetlands, row crops, and grassland. Agricultural row crop runoff (via inlets) is the primary source of nutrient pollution into Monson. Nutrient levels were high (total phosphorus=0.063 ppm, Chlorophyll a=53.5 ppb) during 2015 in Monson. There are three small sized inlets (northwest, northeast, and south shores) that flow into Monson. The Monson outlet connects to West Sunburg Lake, which is a shallow, productive and sometimes susceptible winterkill lake. Fish movement is possible between West Sunburg and Monson during high water levels, which has resulted in excellent sunfish growth and good fishing in West Sunburg after several mild winters. A winterkill probably occurred in the connected West Sunburg Lake in February of 2019 and perhaps during the 2022-23 winter. Water levels were above normal during the 2024 summer. Dissolved oxygen was 8 ppm or greater down to 20 feet deep during mid-June. Water clarity (secchi reading) was good (12.0 feet) on June 10, 2024. Blue-green algae blooms can be common during the mid to late summer months in…
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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