Palmer Lake

Hubbard County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 29008700

DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Palmer Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (94 fish).

• Palmer Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (9).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,374 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 21 ft; surface area 146 acres, 92 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.3 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: August 2, 2021 (targeted survey).
• Hubbard County, nearest town Park Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 29008700.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2021

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 of nearshore fish species in Palmer Lake was conducted on August 2, 2021, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sampling stations, but two stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations and site conditions prevented the use of a seine at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured 10 species of fish including four species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2021 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey indicate that the fish community in Palmer Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. These results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Crow Wing River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, August 2, 2021.

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