Somers Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86023000

DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Somers Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (1,443 fish).

• Somers Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (10).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 6,842 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 21 ft, mean depth 10 ft; surface area 151 acres, 128 littoral acres, 2.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.3 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow perch.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: August 6, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Wright County, nearest town Maple Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 86023000.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/4/1991 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

DNR fish survey, 2025

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 nearshore fish species in Somers Lake was conducted on August 6, 2025, by Area Fisheries staff. 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 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 6 stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at 3 stations. One station was not seined due to deep water and dense vegetation. Nearshore sampling captured 9 species of fish including no species that are intolerant of disturbance and 0 that are tolerant of disturbance, though 1 tolerant species was captured in gill nets (i.e., Common Carp). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a September 2021 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Somers Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score above the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings which indicated that Somers Lake is fully supporting aquatic life. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River - St. Cloud watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Somers Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, August 6, 2025.

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