String Lake
Cottonwood County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 17002400
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at String Lake since 2019, most recently northern pike fingerlings in 2025 (416 fish).
- String Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2019-2025): walleye (6), northern pike (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,531,566 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 4 ft; surface area 336 acres, 7.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 0.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cottonwood County, nearest town Wilder; DNR lake number (DOW) 17002400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 416 | 104.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 325,218 | 3.2 |
| 2024 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 241 | 36.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 325,000 | 3.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 325,000 | 2.8 |
| 2022 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 1,508 | 290.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 325,000 | 3.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 906,348 | 7.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 325,000 | 2.6 |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bigmouth buffalo | Special electrofishing | 80.52 | 41 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | Special electrofishing | 53.03 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Special electrofishing | 13.75 | 7 | 0.37 |
| Common carp | Special electrofishing | 7.86 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Special electrofishing | 3.93 | 2 | 0.03 |
| Walleye | Special electrofishing | 1.96 | 1 | 0.66 |
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.
String Lake is a 402-acre, class 42 lake located four miles west of the City of Windom in Cottonwood County. String Lake is comprised of three basins divided by roads but are connected by culverts that allow fish passage. String Lake is a shallow basin (max depth of 6.0 ft.) that experiences frequent partial winterkills. While observed dissolved oxygen levels were not below 2.0 parts per million, dead fish were observed when the ice went off at String Lake. A winterkill check was done on May 15, 2023, using boat electrofishing to determine the extent of the winterkill. Six species of fish were sampled during the 2023 winterkill check including Bigmouth Buffalo (80.5 per hour), Black Bullhead (13.8 per hour), Common Carp (7.9 per hour), Fathead Minnow (53.0 per hour), Walleye (2.0 per hour), and Yellow Perch (3.9 per hour). The presence of several species suggests that a partial winterkill occurred at String Lake, but not severe enough to alter the fish community. String Lake was stocked with 325,000 Walleye fry in the spring of 2023 to establish a top-level predator.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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