Sullivan Lake (Morrison County)
Morrison County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 49001600
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Sullivan Lake (Morrison County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (800,000 fish).
- Sullivan Lake (Morrison County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,003,312 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 57 ft, mean depth 18 ft; surface area 1,103 acres, 567 littoral acres, 7.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.8 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, rock bass, and 6 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Morrison County, nearest town Harding; DNR lake number (DOW) 49001600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/11/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 800,000 | 7.3 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 800,000 | 7.2 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 800,000 | 7.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fry | 800,000 | 8.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye4 | fry | 803,312 | 8.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 4 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
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 | East side of lake |
| concrete ramp | TOW | West side of lake |
| C | - | Channel from Platte Lake |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 27.50 | 330 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 17.00 | 204 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 10.75 | 129 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 2.17 | 26 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | 50-ft beach seine | 0.83 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 20.34 | 44 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 19.87 | 43 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 15.25 | 33 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 11.09 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 8.78 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | Backpack electrofishing | 5.08 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 3.70 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 3.24 | 7 | 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 Sullivan Lake, was conducted on June 23rd-24th, 2025, by Area Fisheries 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 14 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 12 stations. Two stations were not seined due to soft bottom, depth, and dense vegetation. Nearshore sampling captured 20 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Iowa Darter and Johnny Darter) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by Area Fisheries staff. 12 trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 13 species of fish, including one that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass). Bluegill and Black Crappie comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Common Carp and Bluegill comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net were combined with gill net data from a July 2025 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish- based (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., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). 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 provide evidence that the fish community in Sullivan Lake is adversely impacted by stressors, as indicated by an FIBI score below the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings, which indicated that Sullivan Lake is impaired for biological health. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River - Sartell watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN…
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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