Murphy Lake (St. Louis County)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69064600
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Murphy Lake (St. Louis County) since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (6,786 fish).
- Murphy Lake (St. Louis County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 33,848 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 24 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 354 acres, 261 littoral acres, 5.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Central Lakes; DNR lake number (DOW) 69064600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/3/1965 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,786 | 261.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,957 | 259.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 8,864 | 260.7 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,264 | 261.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,977 | 261.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2019
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 30.96 | 34 | 1.69 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.67 | 104 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 5.83 | 70 | 0.26 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 12 | 0.93 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.92 | 11 | 3.05 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 4 | 0.08 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 4 | 1.03 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 0.06 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.08 | 1 | 2.87 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.44 | 49 | 0.15 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.22 | 38 | 2.28 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.11 | 37 | 3.29 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.26 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 6 | 2.54 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 1.12 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.09 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.44 | 4 | 1.06 |
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.
Murphy is a 354 acre lake with 261 (74%) acres of littoral area and maximum depth of 24 feet. Murphy Lake is located just west of Central Lakes, MN off U.S. Highway #53 and has a state-administered, concrete, back-in public access. Murphy was last assessed in 2009. Murphy was surveyed during the summer of 2019 to update information about fish populations. Walleye and Largemouth Bass are the primary species of management for Murphy Lake. Walleye fingerlings have been stocked into Murphy during odd numbered years since 1993. Walleye abundance of 4.2 per gillnet lift was up significantly from 2009 (0.9) and was average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Historically, the Walleye gillnet catch for 2019 was the highest on record for Murphy Lake dating back to 1950. Walleye average length was large at 17.6 inches with some fish captured exceeding 25 inches. All Walleye aged corresponded to stocked year-classes, suggesting natural reproduction of Walleye is limiting in Murphy Lake. Anglers should expect quality opportunities for Walleye angling in Murphy Lake in 2020 and beyond. A total of 34 Largemouth Bass were sampled with electrofishing equipment. The catch rate of Largemouth Bass was 31.0 fish per hour of electrofishing on-time. Largemouth Bass average length was 14.3 inches with some quality sized fish sampled up to about 18 inches. Northern Pike abundance of 4.1 per gillnet lift was average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Northern pike average length was 23.9 inches and 16% of the gillnet captured fish were greater than 28 inches in length. One large specimen captured measured 35 inches in length. Black Crappie abundance of 5.8 per trapnet lift was average when compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Black Crappie average length was 7.4 inches. Bluegill abundance of 8.7 per trapnet lift was average when compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Average length of sampled Bluegill was 5.0 inches.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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