Sleepy Eye Lake
Brown County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 08004500
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Sleepy Eye Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (102,000 fish).
- Sleepy Eye Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (6), northern pike (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 409,596 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 21 ft, mean depth 7 ft; surface area 241 acres, 203 littoral acres, 4.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Brown County, nearest town Sleepy Eye; DNR lake number (DOW) 08004500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/12/1992 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 102,000 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 103,179 | 0.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 203,000 | 1.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 802 | 321.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 17 | 33.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 598 | 117.0 |
| 2017 | Northern Pike | fry | 50,000 | 1.4 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fry | 52,803 | 0.8 |
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 | North side of the lake, in city park. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 19.83 | 119 | 0.14 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 15.17 | 91 | 3.19 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 11.67 | 70 | 0.18 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 8.33 | 50 | 2.56 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 6.17 | 37 | 0.17 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 10 | 0.89 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 6 | 2.83 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 13.05 |
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.
Sleepy Eye is a smaller sized lake (240 acres) located adjacent to the City of Sleepy Eye in Brown County. A large city-owned access with a double cement boat ramp is located on the north shore within the Sleepy Eye Sportsmen's Park. Sleepy Eye Lake has 4 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 21 feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Sleepy Eye is a class 38 lake and another similar lake in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area is Ripley Lake in Meeker County. A fishing pier is present at the park on the north side of the lake. Sleepy Eye Lake is known as one of the best multi-species fisheries in Brown County and the 2021 netting results confirmed this. Walleye stocking resumed at Sleepy Eye Lake in 2012, but net catches were low in 2016. However, the Walleye catch jumped up dramatically in 2021, with high numbers of nice sized fish being sampled. Walleye averaged 21 inches in length with maximum length being 26 inches. Good numbers of Northern Pike were also netted, averaging 22 inches with maximum length of 33 inches. Big Largemouth Bass were also captured in the gill nets with fish just under 20 inches in length being taken. Black Crappie numbers were down a bit from previous surveys, and lengths were small. Sleepy Eye Lake is not known for its large crappies. Bluegill seemed plentiful, with many smaller sized fish captured. However, some Bluegill were slightly over 7 inches in length. Moderate numbers of Yellow Perch were encountered in the nets. Most of the perch were small, but a few reached 10 inches in length. Other species that anglers may encounter at Sleepy Eye Lake include Black Bullhead and the very rare Channel Catfish. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Overharvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are typically moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters and lakeshore owners, and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all lake water from their boat and bait buckets before leaving the lake. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR…
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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