Morin Lake
Freeborn County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 24004300
DNR records show 16 stocking entries at Morin Lake since 2016, most recently black crappie adults in 2025 (97 fish).
- Morin Lake has 16 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (5), northern pike (3), channel catfish (3), black crappie (2), and 2 more species.
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 325,590 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 7 ft; surface area 21 acres, 21 littoral acres, 0.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Freeborn County, nearest town Alden; DNR lake number (DOW) 24004300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/27/1988 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Black Crappie | adults | 97 | 79.0 |
| 2025 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 600 | 150.0 |
| 2025 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 2 | 4.0 |
| 2025 | Northern Pike | adults | 6 | 20.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 1.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 10,500 | 0.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.8 |
| 2020 | Channel Catfish | fingerlings | 1,500 | 33.3 |
| 2018 | Channel Catfish | fingerlings | 1,000 | 45.0 |
| 2017 | Black Crappie | adults | 40 | 20.0 |
| 2017 | Channel Catfish | adults | 55 | 110.0 |
| 2017 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 15 | 25.0 |
| 2017 | Northern Pike | adults | 40 | 80.0 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | adults | 28 | 46.7 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 90 | 20.0 |
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 | city | - Good boat access on south shore off of Main Street in Alden. |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 435.25 | 1,741 | 0.01 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 19.75 | 79 | 0.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 8.75 | 35 | 0.25 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.25 | 9 | 0.52 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.36 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 1 | 1.38 |
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 targeted survey was conducted at Morin Lake on September 14th, 2017 to assess the fish community. 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 methods (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, trap nets, and spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). This survey consisted of four trap nets set for 24 hours. Results from this targeted survey should not be compared to results from standard surveys. The current management plan calls for Morin Lake to be managed as a put-and-take fishery similar to an urban kid's fishing pond, rather than as a stable fishery. Walleye will no longer be stocked as fingerlings and will only be stocked as adult fish. In the spring of 2017, 40 adult Northern Pike, 15 adult Largemouth Bass, and 40 adult Black Crappies were stocked. Also, in the fall of 2017, 55 adult Channel Catfish were stocked in Morin Lake to provide an angling opportunity and hopefully provide predation on the abundant Black Bullhead population. Management species will be stocked following winterkill events or as needed and available. Black Bullheads were the primary species sampled. Trap nets sampled 1,741 Black Bullheads for a catch rate of 435.3/trap net. Black Bullheads averaged 5.6 inches total length and ranged from 4.2 inches to 9.1 inches. Black Crappie and Bluegill were the only other species sampled in moderate numbers. Black Crappie catch rate was 8.8/trap net. Black Crappies were generally small - averaging 7.6 inches total length and ranging from 4.8 inches to 11.8 inches. Bluegill catch rate was 10.0/trap net. Bluegill were also generally small - averaging 5.4 inches total length and ranging from 4.2 inches to 8.0 inches. Management goals call for 20-40 Black Crappie per trap net and 40-80 Bluegills per trap net. Management goals were not met during the 2017 targeted survey. Only one Walleye was sampled in 2017, however trap nets are not an effective gear for sampling Walleye and the population may be greater than indicated by trap netting. The Walleye sampled measured 16.8 inches total length. Nine Yellow Bullhead and one Yellow Perch were also sampled during the survey. -Brandon Eder, assistant area supervisor
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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