Moran Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 29024700
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Moran Lake since 2022, most recently black crappie adults in 2023 (24 fish).
- Moran Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2022-2023): black crappie (2), bluegill sunfish (2), largemouth bass (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is black crappie: 71 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 15 ft; surface area 101 acres, 105 littoral acres, 3.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hubbard County, nearest town Park Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 29024700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Black Crappie | adults | 24 | 24.0 |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 40 | 8.0 |
| 2023 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 32 | 30.2 |
| 2022 | Black Crappie | adults | 47 | 29.3 |
| 2022 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 20 | 5.0 |
| 2022 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 20 | 40.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | county |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 41.22 | 371 | 0.18 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 9.00 | 81 | 0.06 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 2.56 | 23 | 1.97 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.81 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.39 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.06 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.23 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 32.00 | 64 | 2.11 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 14.00 | 28 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.21 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.03 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.06 |
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.
Moran Lake is located four miles south of Park Rapids in southern Hubbard County. Moran is a long, narrow, shallow lake with a surface area of 100 acres and a maximum depth of only 15 feet. A county-owned public access with an earthen ramp is located on the north end of the lake off of 149th Avenue. Moran provides fishing opportunities for Northern Pike, Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Largemouth Bass. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Moran is in lake class 42. Class 42 lakes have the characteristics of being shallow, hard water, and 100% littoral (water depth of 15 feet or less). Due to the shallow depth, Moran is subject to periodic "winterkill" events. Winterkill usually happens during winters with heavy snowfall and long ice cover on the lakes. Heavy snow cover and ice on the lakes block sunlight from penetrating into the water, which in turn limits oxygen production through photosynthesis. At the same time, decaying aquatic vegetation on the lake bottom uses oxygen, which causes oxygen levels in the lake to drop. Shallow, weedy lakes are more likely to winterkill than are deep water lakes. Gamefish such as Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Walleye are more susceptible to low oxygen levels than are Northern Pike or Black Bullhead. The winterkill events on Moran have been infrequent and partial, with a gamefish population remaining. The last notable winterkill on Moran occurred during the winter of 1988-1989, 2003 - 2004, and 2013 -2014. Moran supports an abundant Northern Pike population. Anglers will find lots of smaller sized Northern Pike in the 19 to 22 inch size range. Sampled Northern Pike had an average length and weight of 20.9 inches and 2.1 pounds, with fish measured up to 30.9 inches. Panfish are a popular choice for anglers on Moran with recent surveys showing good Bluegill numbers with fish in the 6-8 inch size range. Pumpkinseed are also present, but small in size, with most fish under 6 inches in length. Present and past surveys have shown Moran to support a low Black Crappie population. Largemouth Bass abundance was up in Moran with fish up to 17.3 inches sampled. Largemouth Bass have been sampled in low numbers in past surveys on Moran. Yellow Perch were sampled in moderate numbers, but size was small, with few fish of an acceptable size for angling. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Moran. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.