Nokomis Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 27001900
DNR records show 13 stocking entries at Nokomis Lake since 2016, most recently tiger muskellunge fingerlings in 2025 (200 fish).
- Nokomis Lake has 13 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (7), tiger muskellunge (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 11,639 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 33 ft; surface area 201 acres, 100 littoral acres, 2.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, tiger muskellunge, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hennepin County, nearest town Minneapolis; DNR lake number (DOW) 27001900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 5/8/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tiger Muskellunge1 | fingerlings | 200 | 51.3 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 2,703 | 200.0 |
| 2024 | Tiger Muskellunge2 | fingerlings | 200 | 50.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,681 | 114.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,169 | 131.0 |
| 2022 | Tiger Muskellunge2 | yearlings | 260 | 86.6 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,400 | 200.0 |
| 2020 | Tiger Muskellunge2 | fingerlings | 140 | 35.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 509 | 134.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,054 | 116.7 |
| 2018 | Tiger Muskellunge2 | fingerlings | 200 | 66.7 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 123 | 152.5 |
| 2016 | Tiger Muskellunge | fingerlings | 250 | 89.3 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 | city | - Access owned and operated by the Minneapolis Parks Dept. Public boat launch is located on the west central shore. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 110.11 | 991 | 0.14 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 21.00 | 189 | 0.30 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.16 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.15 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.13 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 2.45 |
| TME | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 7.63 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 54.00 | 324 | 0.22 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 42.17 | 253 | 0.15 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 31.83 | 191 | 0.25 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 12.17 | 73 | 2.15 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 11 | 4.86 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 2.18 |
| TME | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 7.57 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.16 |
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 Nokomis is a 201-acre lake with a maximum depth of 33 feet. All land surrounding Lake Nokomis is owned by the city of Minneapolis, and Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board maintains the property. There is a boat access on the northern shore of the lake, as well as two fishing piers and two swimming beaches on the lake. Gas motors are prohibited on Nokomis, and the lake is popular among canoers and kayakers. Nokomis is primarily managed for Walleye and Tiger Muskellunge; each is stocked on an every-other-year basis. Lake Nokomis is infested with Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels. In 2023, Walleye were abundant, and of good-quality size. Fish ranged in length from 12.8 - 24.6 inches, with an average size of 18.2 inches and 2.16 pounds. There aren't many Northern Pike in Nokomis, but they tend to be large. The average pike was 27.4 inches and 4.86 pounds, and the largest was 35.2 inches long. Consistently low Northern Pike abundances have allowed for establishment and continuation of Tiger Muskellunge management. Tiger Muskellunge and Largemouth Bass are both present in Lake Nokomis. However, targeted sampling was not attempted in 2023. One bass was sampled in the gill net, and it was 3.4 inches. Three Tiger Muskies were captured in the gill nets and trap nets, measuring 24.4, 36.3, and 31.8 inches. Gill nets and trap nets do not effectively sample bass or muskies, so these samples do not accurately reflect the size structure of these populations, and only document their presence. Good numbers of panfish were sampled in 2023, and plenty of harvestable-size fish were observed. Forty-two percent of the Bluegill sample exceeded 6 inches, and the average size was 6.0 inches and 0.17 pounds. The largest Bluegill was 8.1 inches. Black Crappie were abundant, and good sized fish were sampled. Eleven percent of the catch exceeded 9 inches, and the largest crappie was 10.4 inches. Yellow Perch were highly abundant, and 13% of the catch exceeded 8 inches.
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.