St. James Lake
Watonwan County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 83004300
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at St. James Lake since 2017, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (548 fish).
- St. James Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,785 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 15 ft; surface area 203 acres, 203 littoral acres, 3.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Watonwan County, nearest town Saint James; DNR lake number (DOW) 83004300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/31/1987 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 548 | 274.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,312 | 164.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | adults | 136 | 151.1 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 222 | 6.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 430 | 405.4 |
| 2020 | Walleye | adults | 277 | 212.7 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 332 | 83.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 528 | 528.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | city | CITY OWNED PUBLIC ACCESS ON SOUTHEAST SIDE OF LAKE. |
| concrete ramp | city | - CITY OWNED PUBLIC ACCESS ON NORTH SIDE OF LAKE. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 33.02 | 26 | 2.28 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 27.50 | 55 | 2.33 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 19.00 | 38 | 0.14 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 11.50 | 23 | 0.32 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 8.50 | 17 | 2.35 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 10 | 0.11 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 6 | 0.63 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 1.17 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 3.61 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 6.33 | 57 | 0.31 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 3.24 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.39 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 2.68 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.97 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 1.38 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.07 |
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.
St. James Lake is a 252-acre, class 42 lake located in the City of St. James in Watonwan County. The Lake has a maximum depth of 15.4 ft. Winterkills in the mid-1990's suppressed gamefish populations, allowing rough fish to thrive, eventually changing the lake from a clear water state to a turbid state. In 2001, a rotenone reclamation was done on St. James Lake to eliminate rough fish populations, reestablish the clear water state, and reestablish gamefish populations. The project was successful; however, overtime non-desirable fish have made their way back into St. James Lake. St. James Lake is managed primarily for Largemouth Bass and Bluegill and secondarily for Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie and Yellow Perch. A survey was conducted in the week of June 3, 2025 to monitor fish populations using gill nets and trap nets. Since the reclamation in 2001, Largemouth Bass catch rates have varied from 9.0 per hour (2011) to 394.0 per hour (2003) and have averaged 89.7 per hour since 2003. In 2025, the Largemouth Bass catch rate was 33.0 per hour, which is like catch rates observed in the last decade (9.0 to 40.5 per hour). Lengths of Largemouth Bass ranged from 3.8 to 21.2 inches and averaged 15.0 inches. The management goals was met because the catch rate exceeded 30.0 per hour. Bluegill catch rates in St. James Lake have varied from 1.3 per trap net in 2013 to 101.9 per trap net in 2003 and have averaged 31.2 per trap net since 1986. In 2025, the Bluegill catch rate was 6.3 per trap net, within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.9 to 29.5 per trap net), but much lower than the 2021 catch rate of 84.1 per trap net. Bluegill lengths ranged from 4.8 to 8.6 inches and averaged 7.1 inches. Condition of Bluegill was high, as the mean relative weight was 97, indicating that forage is available. The management goal was not met because the desired catch rate was not attained (10.8 per trap net). Since the reclamation, Walleye catch rates have varied from 0.0 in 2017 to 13.3 in 2007 and have averaged 3.6 per gill net. In 2025, the Walleye catch rate was 1.0 per gill net, a decrease from the 2021 catch rate of 3.5 per gill net. Lengths of Walleye ranged from 8.3 to 24.0 inches and averaged 16.1 inches. Walleye stocking has been extensive at St. James Lake as fingerlings, yearlings or adults have been stocked annually since 2020, except for 2023. Stocking advance sized Walleye likely provides a quality put and take fishery at St. James Lake. St. James Lake continues to have an abundant Northern Pike population. The 2025 Northern Pike catch…
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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