Rock Lake (Becker County)

Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03029300

DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Rock Lake (Becker County) since 2016, most recently bluegill sunfish adults in 2024 (122 fish).

• Rock Lake (Becker County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5), bluegill sunfish (2), black crappie (1), largemouth bass (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 6,000,000 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 18 ft; surface area 1,196 acres, 1,001 littoral acres, 10.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.7 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: May 9, 2023 (targeted survey).
• Becker County, nearest town Detroit Lakes; DNR lake number (DOW) 03029300.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/26/1965 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2023

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.

Rock Lake is a 1,048-acre lake located about eight miles northeast of Detroit Lakes in central Becker County. The lake periodically experiences winterkill of varying degrees. Very light winterkills, where a few dead fish are observed at the outlet in the spring, are relatively common. Property owners reported dead fish in the spring of 2023. A targeted fisheries survey was conducted in May 2023 to observe the severity of the winterkill. Dead fish of all species were observed while surveying. Trap nets captured Northern Pike, White Sucker, Tadpole Madtom, Yellow Perch, and three species of bullhead, all species which are more tolerant to low oxygen conditions. Bullheads were abundant. Northern Pike were caught in good numbers with an average length of 20 inches. Unfortunately, Rock Lake appears to have experienced a significant winterkill for Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Largemouth Bass during the 2022-2023 winter. This would be the first major winterkill since the winter of 1995-1996. As a result, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie were reintroduced during 2023. Angling opportunities for Northern Pike are still available, but it will take a few years to have quality fishing for other species.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, May 9, 2023.

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