Perch Lake (Crow Wing County)
Crow Wing County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 18037100
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Perch Lake (Crow Wing County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (165,000 fish).
- Perch Lake (Crow Wing County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,485,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 40 ft; surface area 266 acres, 165 littoral acres, 3.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Crow Wing County, nearest town Baxter; DNR lake number (DOW) 18037100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/28/1960 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
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 | Minnesota DNR | South end of lake off of Co. Rd. 48. - Located on the south end of the lake off of Co.Rd. 48. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 46.37 | 35 | 1.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard electrofishing | 17.22 | 13 | 0.57 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 16.44 | 148 | 0.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.77 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.28 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.39 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.54 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.49 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.46 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.11 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 12.33 | 74 | 1.86 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 12 | 0.56 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 12 | 0.16 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.49 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 4.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.19 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.60 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 3.87 |
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.
Perch Lake is a 270 acre lake located inside the city limits of Baxter in Crow Wing County. A DNR owned public access is located on the south end of the lake. Perch reaches a depth of 40 feet, with 61% being 15 feet deep or less. Large beds of bulrush and water lilies surround the lakeshore. Protection of aquatic vegetation, especially emergent vegetation, is important for maintaining good water quality. Aquatic vegetation is critical for fish spawning areas as well as providing habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Although Walleye fry are stocked annually (165,000/year), not much of a Walleye fishery exists. Only two Walleyes were captured in the 2021 survey, with past catches have ranged from 0.7/gill net (2009) to a high of 4.7/gill net (1997). Largemouth Bass were sampled by a spring electrofishing survey and captured at a rate of 43.8/hour. Average length was 12.1" with 54% measuring at least 12" in length, and 20% measuring at least 15". Largemouth bass up to 18.1" were sampled. Northern Pike numbers were high for this type of lake at 12.3/gill net. While average size was small at 19.4", fish up to 34.8" were captured. With only 11% of the fish in the protected slot and only 9% above it, there is ample opportunity to harvest your 10 Northern Pike under 22" on Perch Lake. A new regulation was implemented on Perch Lake in 2021 reducing the daily possession of sunfish and crappie to five. Both Bluegill (16.4/trap net) and Black Crappie (1.4/trap net) were caught in average numbers for this type of lake. Both species were fast growing and had plenty of fish that were of harvestable size. Average size of Bluegill was 6.5", with 32% measuring at least 7" in length. Average size of Black Crappie was 8.9", with 69% measuring at least 8". No invasive species have been discovered in Perch Lake, but they are located in the local area. Before and after launching lake users are required to inspect and remove any aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and trailers as well as pull the plug and drain all water from the watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells.
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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