Riley Lake
Carver County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 10000200
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Riley Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2022 (1,800 fish).
- Riley Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2022): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 10,800 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 49 ft, mean depth 21 ft; surface area 296 acres, 110 littoral acres, 3.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Carver County, nearest town Chanhassen; DNR lake number (DOW) 10000200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 11/2/1988 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,800 | 60.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 2,500 | 833.3 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 2,000 | 200.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,500 | 75.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 85.7 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | Available during park's open hours; 15 listed parking spaces. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 42.17 | 253 | 0.66 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 22.67 | 136 | 0.55 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.83 | 59 | 4.25 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 6.50 | 39 | 0.16 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.83 | 23 | 0.10 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.67 | 22 | 0.22 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 9 | 2.40 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.93 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 12.33 | 111 | 0.13 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 3.72 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.11 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 4.00 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.09 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 1.04 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.11 |
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 Riley is a 296-acre lake with a maximum depth of 49 feet. The lake is located west of Eden Prairie, and Walleye are stocked each year by the lake association. During the summer of 2021, water clarity was neither extremely high nor extremely low, and the lake held good levels of dissolved oxygen to a depth of 32 feet. Zebra mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil are present in Riley. In 2021, a special regulation for Bluegill and Crappie was implemented; anglers are now allowed to harvest only 5 fish of each species. The goal of the regulation is to reduce harvest of panfish so that they can live longer and grow to a larger size. A Standard Survey was conducted during the summer of 2021 to assess the gamefish populations. Walleye were caught in low numbers in 2021, and a broad range of sizes of fish were present. Annual Walleye stocking by the lake association began in 2015, and the fish in the 2021 survey give a snapshot of the population that those efforts have established. Fish lengths were between 9 and 26 inches, with an average of 18 inches. The presence of smaller fish shows that recent stockings have been successful. Although not highly abundant, Walleye are persisting in the lake. Northern Pike were sampled in high numbers in 2021, and fish size was good. Lengths were between 18 and 39 inches, with an average of 27 inches. A lot of the fish were in the 22 to 26 inch protected slot, and 40% of the catch exceeded 26 inches. Riley should provide quality Northern Pike fishing for both catch and release and harvest angling. Bluegill were moderately abundant and tended to be smaller in size. Fish lengths were between 2 and 8 inches, with a 5 inch average. Since Bluegill were not highly abundant in Riley, competition for food should not limit their growth. With a reduction in harvest from the new 5 fish possession limit, these fish will hopefully live longer, and attain greater size. It takes a Bluegill 8 years to reach 8 inches in Riley. Black Crappie were caught in low numbers, but size was good. Fish lengths were between 5 and 11 inches, with a 7 inch average. Twenty percent of the catch were larger than 9 inches. Yellow Bullhead were highly abundant in 2021. Fish lengths were between 8 and 12 inches, with a 10 inch average. Other fishes caught in low abundance included Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Perch.
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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