Roberds Lake
Rice County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 66001800
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Roberds Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (196,154 fish).
- Roberds Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,379,875 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 43 ft; surface area 632 acres, 393 littoral acres, 5.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, crappie, freshwater drum, largemouth bass, muskellunge, and 6 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Rice County, nearest town Shieldsville; DNR lake number (DOW) 66001800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/10/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 196,154 | 1.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 393,000 | 3.2 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 393,000 | 3.1 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 393,000 | 3.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 103 | 206.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 4,618 | 1,028.0 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - Public access at West end of lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 1.00 | 1 | 0.22 |
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 survey targeting age-0 Walleye was conducted at Roberds Lake on 24 September 2025 using 60 minutes of standard boat electrofishing. One age-0 Walleye was sampled for a catch rate of 1.0/hour on-time. Catch rates have averaged 4.4/hour on-time during 9 surveys since 2017. During that period non-stocked years (n = 5) yielded 1 age-0 Walleye. Past Walleye management has failed to produce a significant catch (> 4.0/net) in survey gill nets despite almost annual heavy stocking of fingerling and mixed-age adult Walleyes. The management strategy switched in 2018 to fry stocking during even years (except in 2020 due to COVID which was made up in 2021). The 2021 and 2024 catch rates offer some hope, albeit limited, that fry stocking could produce what previous stocking strategies haven't in Roberds Lake.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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