Swan Lake (McLeod County)

McLeod County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 43004000

DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Swan Lake (McLeod County) since 2016, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (459 fish).

• Swan Lake (McLeod County) has 6 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): walleye (6).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 360,583 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 10 ft; surface area 352 acres, 352 littoral acres, 2.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.6 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, and 2 more.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: October 7, 2025 (targeted survey).
• McLeod County, nearest town Silver Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 43004000.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

Swan is a small-sized lake (351 acres) located northwest of the Town of Silver Lake in McLeod County. A state-owned access with a small gravel parking area and a single cement boat ramp is present on the east shore. A small fishing dock is also present at the east access. A larger, county-owned access, is available on the lake's north shore with paved parking and a single cement boat ramp. There is a large fishing pier present at the Swan Lake County Park on the north shore along with a smaller fishing dock to the west of the pier. Swan has approximately three miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of around twelve feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Swan is a class 43 lake and other similar waterbodies in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area are Winsted and Hook Lakes in McLeod County. Swan's 2022 lake management plan listed Walleye and Black Crappie as the primary management species, while Channel Catfish were a secondary species. Swan Lake is typically aerated during the winter to reduce winterkill frequency and severity. Netting was completed in October 2025 to evaluate the fish population following a rare late-summer fish kill. Dead fish species observed in late September 2025, included Walleye, Channel Catfish, Northern Pike, Black Bullhead, Spottail Shiner, Yellow Perch, sunfish, Largemouth Bass and Common Carp. Walleye were the most abundant dead fish counted during the kill. Very low numbers of fish (seven) were sampled in the one gill net that was set. Walleye were not sampled in either of the gears, but since only one gill net was set, they may still be present in lower numbers. A total of 459 age-2 Walleye were stocked in mid-October to help the population recover. Walleye fry are also scheduled to be stocked in 2026. It may take a couple of years for the Walleye population to recover from the late summer fish kill. Black Crappie seemed to be less affected than Walleye by the mortality event. Moderate numbers of crappie were sampled in the trap nets, but most were small, averaging 5.2 inches in length. However, some keeper-sized crappie were encountered. Maximum crappie length was an impressive 13 inches. Some keeper-sized Bluegill were also captured in the trap nets, with fish averaging almost 6 inches in length. Maximum Bluegill length was nearly 9 inches. Additional fishes sampled in the nets included Channel Catfish, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead. People…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, October 7, 2025.

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