Pine Island Lake
Todd County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 77006700
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Pine Island Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2018 (120 fish).
- Pine Island Lake has 3 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2016-2018): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,557 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 26 ft, mean depth 13 ft; surface area 238 acres, 124 littoral acres, 3.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Todd County, nearest town Cushing; DNR lake number (DOW) 77006700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/21/1980 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 120 | 60.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 120 | 60.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,317 | 124.0 |
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 | TOW |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 69.98 | 72 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 59.29 | 61 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 15.55 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | Backpack electrofishing | 12.63 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 5.83 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 2.92 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 1.94 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Backpack electrofishing | 1.94 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 36.33 | 327 | 0.25 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 5.89 | 53 | 0.38 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 5.11 | 46 | 0.28 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.64 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 1.58 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.40 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 4.77 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 1.32 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 36.00 | 46 | 1.19 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 26.00 | 234 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 6.78 | 61 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 12 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 1.22 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 9 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 15-ft beach seine | 0.67 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 0.56 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 0.56 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 13.83 | 83 | 0.15 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 12.17 | 73 | 0.93 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 27 | 1.17 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 20 | 0.22 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.16 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.78 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.10 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.09 |
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.
Pine Island is primarily managed for Northern Pike and Black Crappie and secondarily for Walleye and Largemouth Bass. Pine Island Lake is a relatively shallow lake that is best suited for Northern Pike and panfish. In 2024, a Standard Survey was conducted on Pine Island Lake which included spring daytime electrofishing, standard summer gill netting, and summer trap netting. IBI (Index of Biotic Integrity) sampling was also performed in 2024, and consisted of backpack electrofishing, and shoreline seine hauls. We use gill nets to sample Northern Pike, Walleye, and Yellow Perch while trap nets are used to sample Bluegill and other panfish along the shorelines. Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie are usually best evaluated in the spring with electrofishing gear. Pine Island Lake has a reputation for being a "hammerhandle" lake and unfortunately, this year the survey results emphasize that more than ever with few fish over or in the 22-26 inch immediate release slot and an average size of less than 16 inches. The 2024 gill net catch was at the high end of the lake's historical range at over 12 per gill net lift. It may be beneficial to harvest smaller 15-21 inch Northern Pike and the release of any fish measuring over 22 inches. 2024 was the first time there was not a Northern Pike sampled larger than 28 inches in Pine Island. As for Bluegill the number sampled was well below the lake's average. Although the numbers fell the size structure of these fish vastly improved from all previous years. In 2024, 45% of the sampled Bluegill were over 7 inches and 5.5% of the sampled Bluegill were over 8 inches including an 8.8 inch specimen, the largest Bluegill ever measured in Pine Island trap nets. Largemouth Bass size structure and abundance have not shifted dramatically based on historical electrofishing results. The percent of fish sampled over 15 inches was 19.5%, in 2024 with the largest measuring almost 19 inches. Average length was 12.3 inches. In 2024 a total of 27 Crappie were caught when combining the gill net and trap net efforts. Only 1 of the 27 (3.5%) sampled Black Crappie measured over 10 inches. Similar numbers and size structures have been evident in gill nets and summer trap nets from previous surveys dating back to 1993. Past spring trap netting and electrofishing efforts have shown better representation of fish over 10 inches though crappies were not targeted in the 2024 spring electrofishing. The 2024 gill net sample of Walleye consisted of one fish which was not unexpected since the lake has not been stocked since 2016 when it was placed on a…
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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