Store Lake
Polk County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 60013000
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Store Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (50,000 fish).
- Store Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 312,500 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 19 ft; surface area 50 acres, 46 littoral acres, 1.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.0 ft.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Polk County, nearest town Fosston; DNR lake number (DOW) 60013000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/12/1993 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 62,500 | 0.5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | TOW | Old township road bed extends into lake on NW shore. - Very limited parking. |
DNR fish survey, 2009
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.83 | 17 | 0.60 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 2.50 | 15 | 1.69 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 3.19 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.02 |
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.
Store (Peterson) Lake is a 52-acre, eutrophic lake in eastern Polk county that is currently vulnerable to winterkill. The lake and its fish community have undergone dramatic changes since it was first surveyed in 1983. At the time of the 1983 survey, Store was not considered a winterkill lake. Water clarity was good and it contained a diverse and well-structured fish community, not typical of a lake that experiences frequent periods of low dissolved oxygen levels. Store Lake experienced a severe winterkill in the winter of 1993-1994. This winterkill was likely the result of lower water levels during that time period and increased nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. Some illegal ditching activity that occurred in the mid-1980s probably contributed to these conditions. The illegal inlet and outlet ditches were subsequently plugged, but apparently not before severe damage was done. Only fish species tolerant of low oxygen conditions, such as bullheads, golden shiners, and yellow perch were captured during the 1994 survey. Test netting in 2009 showed that Store Lake now supports modest walleye and northern pike fisheries. Brown bullheads remained the most abundant species, but numbers have declined considerably in the past decade. Walleyes stocked as fry in 2004 were nearly as abundant as bullheads in 2009 and the average walleye size was a very acceptable 17.7 inches and 1.7 pounds. The highly variable fishery in Store Lake is a direct reflection of the decline in water quality and post-winterkill stocking. Water transparency has decreased from 12 feet in 1983 to four feet in 1999 and 2009, while phosphorus levels and nuisance algal blooms have increased. Prior to the degradation of water quality, this lake provided a popular fishery for abundant bluegills and large northern pike. Efforts to restore the northern pike and panfish populations will likely be ineffective unless trends in declining water quality can be reversed and the possibility of winterkill decreased. The history of this lake serves as a lesson that activities in a watershed can have drastic effects on lakes and their fish populations. Things that riparian owners and other watershed dwellers can do to protect water quality and fish populations include: (1) leaving wide shoreline buffer zones of unmowed vegetation, (2) leaving aquatic vegetation stands intact, especially bulrush and cattail, (3) participating in a Soil and Water Conservation District or Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizen Lake Monitoring Program, and (4) acquiring DNR permits for aquatic plant removal…
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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