Spring Lake (Meeker County)
Meeker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 47003200
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Spring Lake (Meeker County) since 2023, most recently bluegill sunfish adults in 2023 (40 fish).
- Spring Lake (Meeker County) has 2 DNR stocking records across 1 year (2023-2023): bluegill sunfish (1), largemouth bass (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is bluegill sunfish: 40 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 30 ft, mean depth 10 ft; surface area 201 acres, 165 littoral acres, 3.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Meeker County, nearest town Dassel; DNR lake number (DOW) 47003200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 40 | 10.0 |
| 2023 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 29 | 54.5 |
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 | county |
DNR fish survey, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 139.84 | 274 | 1.01 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 74.67 | 448 | 0.36 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 23.33 | 140 | 0.49 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.50 | 63 | 2.87 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 42 | 0.05 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 5.67 | 34 | 0.05 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 14 | 0.17 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 11 | 0.33 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.97 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 36.44 | 328 | 0.06 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 13.22 | 119 | 0.56 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 9.33 | 84 | 0.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.78 | 34 | 0.13 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.89 | 26 | 0.09 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 18 | 0.04 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 4.40 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.48 |
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 standard survey was conducted at Spring Lake on June 18, 2018, to monitor the fish population. Spring is a class 34 lake and net catches were compared to similar lakes around the state. The 2014 lake management plan (LMP) listed Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike as the primary management species while Black Crappie were considered a secondary management species. A total of 11 species, plus Hybrid Sunfish, were sampled in the gill nets (GN), trap nets (TN), or by spring night-time electrofishing targeting Largemouth Bass. On June 19, the dissolved oxygen concentration fell below 2.0 mg/l at 14.0 feet, indicating that some of the lake (maximum depth of 30 feet) lacked sufficient oxygen for fish use at this time of the year. Water clarity was fair, with a secchi disk reading of 5.9 feet. Curlyleaf Pondweed was common around the shoreline during netting week. Curlyleaf Pondweed is a non-native aquatic plant that can reach nuisance levels in May and June but typically dies back in early July. Spring Lake has a history of occasional winterkill with the latest significant event occurring in 2001. Fish populations (especially Bluegill and Largemouth Bass) can fluctuate widely depending on frequency and severity of winterkill. DNR Parks and Trails installed a fishing pier at the north end of the lake in 2018. Gill nets sampled high numbers of Northern Pike (63) for a catch rate of 10.5/net, which was above the lake's normal range. The 2014 LMP's Northern Pike long range goal (>5.1/net) was met. The 2013 catch rate was 29.0/net. Catch rates from 1974 to 2018 (n=10) were variable, ranging from 0.2 to 29.0/net with an average of 10.4. Historically, recruitment could be classified as moderate (>5.0/GN) to high (>10.0/GN) at Spring Lake. Northern Pike were last stocked in 1991, indicating ample natural reproduction most years. In 2018, Northern Pike were 18.9 to 29.6 inches long with an average of 23.9. Trap nets sampled fish up to 33.1 inches in length. Data indicated a quality size structure. Size distributions indicated that multiple age classes were present. New Northern Pike zone regulations went into effect in the spring of 2018. Long is in the north central regulation zone, which has a 10 fish bag limit, where all fish from 22 to 26 inches in length have to be immediately released and only two harvested fish can be over 26 inches long. Darkhouse spearers are allowed to have one fish in the protected slot limit. Spring Lake was occasionally clear enough for darkhouse spearing, but many years was too turbid. Pike anglers should expect plenty of…
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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