Rachel Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21016000
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Rachel Lake since 2017, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (105 fish).
- Rachel Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 30,858 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 65 ft, mean depth 30 ft; surface area 448 acres, 221 littoral acres, 6.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Douglas County, nearest town Holmes City; DNR lake number (DOW) 21016000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 105 | 209.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 307 | 307.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 11,242 | 338.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,793 | 285.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 11,216 | 334.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 5,195 | 332.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Located on east side off East Rachel Road SW |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 27.00 | 27 | 1.80 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 23.44 | 211 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 8.89 | 80 | 2.67 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.78 | 43 | 0.35 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.56 | 32 | 0.68 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.19 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 2.18 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.16 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.61 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 22.33 | 201 | 0.15 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.78 | 34 | 0.32 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.21 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.69 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.25 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 1.31 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 2.39 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.15 |
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.
Rachel Lake is a 496 acre natural basin located in south central Douglas County near Holmes City. Maximum depth is 65 feet. Water quality and clarity are typically very good, although significant annual variability is noted. Rachel Lake supports a robust aquatic plant community. Habitat attributes are typical of a "Bass-Panfish" ecological classification, although lake area and habitat characteristics have varied over the last 20 years. Heavy rains resulted in significant increases in water levels in the 1990s. An outlet was constructed in 2003, but lake elevation remains near the ordinary high water mark. Much of the basin's emergent vegetation (hardstem bulrush and cattail) was lost to rising water, although rising water elevations did flood out some trees and there was an increase in woody habitat for fish. There is a navigable connection between the main basin and the smaller basin (Little Rachel) to the south. Boaters should use caution, as there is a number of tree stumps under the surface in this shallow water. Northern Pike harvest is regulated by a 24-36 inch protected slot length limit. Due to the navigable connection between Rachel and Little Rachel lakes, the Northern Pike harvest regulation applies to both basins. Survey results suggest the 24-36 inch protected slot length limit has had a positive effect on reshaping size structure. Northern Pike abundance has remained elevated since the water levels increased in the 1990s, but the number of large pike has increased in recent years. A number of pike over 30 inches were observed in the recent survey. Despite a decrease in the number of small pike in the survey, they are still overabundant, and anglers are encouraged to harvest fish under 24 inches in length. Largemouth Bass abundance decreased during the last two surveys. Growth rates of bass are moderate and approximately half the bass were 14 inches or longer in this survey. Survival of young bass appears to be down in recent years. Bluegill catch rates were moderate and few fish over 8 inches were observed. Black Crappie abundance has increased, mostly due to an above average year class from 2021. Bluegill and Black Crappie grow slow in Rachel Lake, but they often live long enough to reach sizes desired by anglers. Rachel Lake supports a low abundance Walleye population. The lake is stocked with Walleye fingerlings every other year and recent stocking attempts have seen poor survival. Currently most fish are between 14 and 22 inches. The Walleye that are in Rachel Lake grow fairly fast and can obtain large sizes. Fish up to 27 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.
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