Staring Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 27007800
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Staring Lake since 2018, most recently black crappie adults in 2023 (40 fish).
- Staring Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2018-2023): bluegill sunfish (3), black crappie (1), largemouth bass (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is bluegill sunfish: 528 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 16 ft; surface area 167 acres, 146 littoral acres, 2.0 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, brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Hennepin County, nearest town Chanhassen; DNR lake number (DOW) 27007800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 5/10/1961 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Black Crappie | adults | 40 | 18.0 |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 28 | 7.4 |
| 2023 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 29 | 22.3 |
| 2019 | Bluegill Sunfish1 | adults | 200 | 33.3 |
| 2018 | Bluegill Sunfish1 | adults | 300 | 37.5 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | Minnesota DNR | A DNR operated concrete ramp is located on the north side of the lake |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 178.88 | 1,431 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 6.88 | 55 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 5.50 | 44 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 5.25 | 42 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 5.12 | 41 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | 50-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Common carp | 50-ft beach seine | 0.12 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 45.10 | 57 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 37.98 | 48 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 16.62 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 7.12 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 2.37 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 0.79 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 0.79 | 1 | 0.00 |
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 Staring Lake was conducted on June 21, 2022, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program 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 ten sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations and site conditions prevented the use of seines at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured ten species of fish including no species that are intolerant of disturbance and three that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead, Common Carp, and Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 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., Black Bullhead, Common Carp, and Fathead Minnow). 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 indicate that the fish community in Staring Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous survey findings, which indicated that Staring Lake is fully supporting aquatic life use. These results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Lower Minnesota River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. IBI Program staff also conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on June 22, 2022, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 32 survey sites evenly spaced 100 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline Zone (the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), Shoreland Zone (land-ward from shoreline to development structure or 100 feet), and Aquatic Zone…
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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