Stahl's Lake
McLeod County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 43010400
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Stahl's Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2017 (85,000 fish).
- Stahl's Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2017-2017): walleye (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 85,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 37 ft; surface area 141 acres, 85 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- McLeod County, nearest town Hutchinson; DNR lake number (DOW) 43010400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/2/1968 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 85,000 | 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 | county |
DNR fish survey, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 79.78 | 718 | 0.05 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 6.67 | 60 | 0.84 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.56 | 32 | 0.14 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 27 | 0.33 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 24 | 2.76 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 18 | 0.14 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.63 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.97 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 52.33 | 82 | 1.31 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 28.00 | 168 | 0.44 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 60 | 2.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 6.67 | 40 | 0.11 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.50 | 33 | 0.11 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 26 | 0.68 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 18 | 3.28 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 18 | 3.38 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 3.54 |
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 Stahl's Lake on July 2, 2018, to monitor the lake's fish population and evaluate the Walleye stocking regime. Stahl's is a class 24 lake and net catches were compared to similar lakes around the state. The 2014 lake management plan (LMP) listed Bluegill and Largemouth Bass as primary management species, while Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Walleye were ranked as secondary species at Stahl's. In 2018, a total of 12 species, plus Hybrid Sunfish, were sampled in the gill nets (GN), trap nets (TN), and by spring night-time electrofishing (EF) targeting Largemouth Bass. The dissolved oxygen concentration fell below 2.0 mg/l at 14 feet, indicating that the deep parts of the lake lacked adequate oxygen for fish use in early July. Water clarity was fair with a secchi disk reading of 5.0 feet. The reduced visibility was due to an algae bloom. Only Walleye were aged for this survey. Shore anglers have several excellent spots to catch fish at Stahl's including the two rock jetties and a new fishing dock that was installed by DNR Parks and Trails in 2018. Gill nets sampled low numbers (18) of Walleye for a catch rate of 3.0/net, which was within the lake's normal range. Historic GN catch rates from 1951 to 2018 (n=14), under various stocking regimes or no Walleye stocking were mostly low, ranging from 0.0 to 4.0/net with an average of 1.5. In 2018, Walleye were 19.1 to 23.2 inches long with an average of 21.1. Walleye were age-3 to age-17 with 6 year classes being present. Age-3 fish, a fry stocked year, were the most abundant, accounting for 44% of the GN aged fish. Non-stocked year classes accounted for 1 of the 18 (6%) Walleye that were aged, and the 17 year old fish was possibly an immigrant from Belle Lake. Walleye were not stocked into Stahl's between 1992 and 2004. An every other year fingerling stocking regime (170 pounds) began in 2005, and could have accounted for 50% of the aged fish in 2018, but natural reproduction and immigration could not be totally ruled out. Fall electrofishing (EW), targeting young of the year Walleye (YWAE), was conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2016 and all three surveys failed to sample any YWAE. The current stocking regime (85,000 fry every other year) began in 2015. The 2015 year class accounted for 44% of the aged fish in 2018. The 2015 year class would be considered moderate in size, while all other year classes were weak. Since EW failed to sample any YWAE in 2015 it could be that there was significant migration from Belle Lake, which was also fry stocked in 2015, or that electrofishing…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.