Signalness Lake
Pope County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 61014900
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Signalness Lake since 2018, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (356 fish).
- Signalness Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2018-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,602 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 14 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 42 acres, 41 littoral acres, 1.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, 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).
- Pope County, nearest town Starbuck; DNR lake number (DOW) 61014900.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 356 | 82.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 858 | 39.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,794 | 84.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 356 | 89.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 238 | 150.0 |
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 | Minnesota DNR | - No motors allowed |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 67.18 | 87 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 32.43 | 42 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 14.67 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 9.27 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 6.95 | 9 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 4.63 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 3.09 | 4 | 0.00 |
| PGS | Backpack electrofishing | 1.54 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 26.38 | 211 | 0.06 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.38 | 19 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.88 | 7 | 0.38 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 6 | 0.09 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 2 | 0.03 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 2 | 1.50 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 2 | 1.64 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 0.70 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 8.83 | 53 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 4.00 | 24 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 15-ft beach seine | 2.33 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 1.17 | 7 | 0.00 |
| PGS | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 0.67 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 0.67 | 4 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 2 | 0.00 |
| PGS | 50-ft beach seine | 4.33 | 13 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 2.67 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 2.33 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 1.33 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Brook stickleback | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 0.33 | 1 | 0.00 |
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 targeted survey of fish species in Signalness Lake, which is located in Glacial Lakes State Park, was conducted on July 8-9, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) program staff. The primary purpose of this survey was to monitor nongame fish species reintroduction efforts that took place in 2020, 2021, and 2023. These efforts, led by MNDNR Parks and Trails staff and volunteers, involved translocation of five historically present species (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Least Darter, and Pugnose Shiner) from nearby Union Lake into Signalness Lake. Nearshore sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at ten sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample three stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at six stations. One station was not seined due to dense vegetation. Nearshore sampling captured nine species of fish, including three of the reintroduced species (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, and Pugnose Shiner), which are intolerant of disturbance. Sampling also captured one species that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by LBMA program staff. Eight trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured seven species of fish, including one that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number and biomass. Although only three of the five reintroduced species were detected during the 2025 targeted survey, monitoring conducted by translocation partners documented all five species in 2024. Steep shorelines with abundant coarse woody habitat and vegetated areas with soft sediments may have reduced nearshore sampling effectiveness at the equally spaced, predetermined sites in 2025. Even so, the presence of multiple individuals of three reintroduced species across several sites, combined with the 2024 observations, suggests that these species may now be reestablished in Signalness Lake, especially given that none were detected during comparable sampling in 2020 following the initial reintroduction efforts.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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