Stay Lake
Lincoln County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 41003400
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Stay Lake since 2017, most recently northern pike fingerlings in 2025 (252 fish).
- Stay Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2017-2025): walleye (7), northern pike (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 770,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 6 ft; surface area 221 acres, 221 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lincoln County, nearest town Arco; DNR lake number (DOW) 41003400.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 252 | 63.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 110,000 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 110,000 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 110,000 | 0.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 110,000 | 0.9 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 110,000 | 0.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 110,000 | 0.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 110,000 | 0.9 |
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 | - STATE OWNED ACCESS ON WEST SIDE OF LAKE |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 85.00 | 85 | 1.36 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 70.00 | 70 | 0.20 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 12.00 | 12 | 0.26 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 5 | 4.29 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 3 | 3.12 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 2 | 1.10 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 2 | 0.03 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 1 | 1.98 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 11.25 | 90 | 0.30 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 4.38 | 35 | 0.28 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 3.12 | 25 | 4.14 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 24 | 0.11 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.62 | 5 | 4.76 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.62 | 5 | 2.90 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard trap nets | 0.38 | 3 | 6.36 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 0.06 |
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.
East Stay Lake is a shallow (max depth of 6 ft.) 224-acre, class 42 lake, located in Lincoln County. Despite aeration, partial winterkills occasionally occur. East Stay Lake has one of the few remaining natural spawning runs for Northern Pike in Windom fisheries management area, as it is connected to several shallow basins that provide quality spawning habitat. Thus, East Stay Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and secondarily for Walleye and Yellow Perch. A survey was conducted the week of August 25, 2025 to monitor fish populations using one gill net and eight trap nets. Following the 2012-2013 winterkill, Northern Pike catch rates have varied from 0.0 per gill net in 2016 to 7.0 per gill net in 2020 averaging 2.7 per gill net since 2016. In 2025, the Northern Pike catch rate was 1.0 per gill net, lower than the expected range of rates for similar lakes (1.1 to 8.0 per gill net). The lack of Northern Pike in the survey could be the result of a winterkill or summer kill that was not reported or documented, or could be a survey anomaly impacting catchability of the Northern Pike. Northern Pike ranged in length from 20.2 to 33.5 inches and averaged 26.8 inches. Northern Pike fingerlings (10 - 17 inches in length; N=252) were stocked in the fall of 2025 to supplement the existing Pike population. In 2025, the Walleye catch rate was 5.0 per gill net, a drastic decrease from the 2020 catch rate of 26.0 per gill net, but within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.0 to 7.3 per gill net). Age-2 and age-3 Walleye were the most abundant and correspond to years when fry stocking occurred. Other year classes sampled included 2017 and 2015, which were also stocked years. Lengths of Walleye ranged from 6.9 to 28.0 and averaged 21.7 inches. Overall, Walleye were large as 70 percent of the sample were greater than 20.0 inches long. The management goal was met, as the desired catch rate was attained. The catch rate of Yellow Perch in 2025 was 12.0 per gill net, a large decrease from the 2020 catch rate of 187.0 per gill net, but within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (3.0 to 26.5 per gill net). Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 5.2 to 11.1 inches and averaged 6.9 inches. The Yellow Perch population appears to be self-sustaining, as at least three year classes were present in the catch, according to the length frequency histogram. The management goal was met, as the catch rate was within the desired range. Common Carp were captured at a rate of 85.0 per gill net, which is the highest catch rate in survey history, an…
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. 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.