Swenson Lake (Kandiyohi County)
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 34032100
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Swenson Lake (Kandiyohi County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (51,135 fish).
- Swenson Lake (Kandiyohi County) has 11 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2025): walleye (6), yellow perch (2), black crappie (1), bluegill sunfish (1), and 1 more species.
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 385,483 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 14 ft; surface area 108 acres, 108 littoral acres, 1.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Kandiyohi County, nearest town Sunburg; DNR lake number (DOW) 34032100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/12/1974 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 51,135 | 0.5 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 50,967 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | Black Crappie | adults | 24 | 12.0 |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 140 | 35.0 |
| 2023 | Largemouth Bass | fingerlings | 126 | 84.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 50,842 | 0.5 |
| 2022 | Yellow Perch | adults | 2,702 | 170.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 105,525 | 1.0 |
| 2021 | Yellow Perch | yearlings | 5,417 | 273.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 1.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | - | 27,014 | 18.3 |
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 | TOW | North end of lake- 1 mile east of County Road #1 - One Ramp and Dock. Adequate Parking. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 108.00 | 36 | 0.02 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 5.90 | 59 | 0.87 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.80 | 18 | 0.53 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.50 | 15 | 1.09 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 1.20 | 12 | 8.51 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.90 | 9 | 1.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.60 | 6 | 1.54 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 5 | 2.08 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard trap nets | 0.30 | 3 | 10.76 |
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 4.75 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 4.00 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Survey seining | 3.00 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Common carp | Survey seining | 1.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Survey seining | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | Survey seining | 0.25 | 1 | 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 was conducted for various fish species during mid-May of 2024 in Swenson Lake. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e. spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e., standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e. lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). A gillnetting survey did not take place in 2024 due to the March 2023 winterkill and high abundance of walleye yearlings in 2023 iceout trapnetting/electrofishing survey. Standard lake survey trapnets were used to sample the fish population in May of 2024. Shoreline seine hauls were conducted to sample small fish in August. Fall night electrofishing was conducted for young of year "YOY" Walleye. Swenson is a small sized (108 acres), shallow (15 feet maximum depth), aerated, and productive lake located in Kandiyohi County. The surrounding watershed is comprised mostly of agricultural row crops with small areas of woodland and wetland areas. The immediate shoreline area consists mostly of undeveloped woodlands (hardwood trees) with small areas of wetlands, row crops, and residential homes. Agricultural row crop runoff (via inlets) is the primary source of nutrient pollution into Swenson. Nutrient levels were high (total phosphorus=0.084 ppm, chlorophyll a=75.9 ppb) during 2015. There are three small to moderate sized inlets (north, west, and south shores) that flow into Swenson. The outlet connects to Shakopee Creek. Water levels were above normal during 2024. Dissolved oxygen was at 10 ppm throughout the water column during the 2024 survey. Water clarity was fair (secchi reading=3.0 feet) on August 15, 2024. Blue-green algae blooms are common and intense during the mid-summer months in Swenson Lake. Submergent vegetation was limited to water moss in 2015. Other aquatic vegetation species present included curly-leaf pondweed, sago pondweed and filamentous algae during past surveys. Emergent vegetation consists mainly of bulrush and cattail species scattered throughout the shoreline areas. A helixor aeration system is operated each winter. A partial winterkill (Walleye, Bigmouth Buffalo and Common Carp) occurred in late February or early March of 2023 due to low oxygen caused by heavy snowfall and prolonged winter into March. Prior documented winterkills occurred in 1974, 1978 and 1984. A…
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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