Talcot Lake
Cottonwood County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 17006000
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Talcot Lake since 2023, most recently northern pike fingerlings in 2023 (1,673 fish).
- Talcot Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2023-2023): northern pike (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is northern pike: 1,673 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 6 ft; surface area 873 acres, 873 littoral acres, 8.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 0.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, quillback, and 7 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cottonwood County, nearest town Dundee; DNR lake number (DOW) 17006000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 1,673 | 239.0 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - STATE OWNED ACCESS ON SOUTHSHORE |
| CA | Minnesota DNR | - STATE OWNED CANOE ACCESS ON DES MOINES RIVER |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 1.48 | 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.
Talcot Lake is a 678-acre, class 43 lake located near the Town of Dundee in Cottonwood County. The West Fork of the Des Moines River runs through the lake. Lake systems with some connectivity to rivers create unique and often dynamic fish populations due to the diversity of habitat created by the river's flow. Talcot Lake is managed primarily for Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, and Black Crappie. Talcot Lake has a self-sustaining Walleye population and therefore has not been stocked with Walleye since 1989; however, some Walleye do drift to Talcot Lake from Lake Shetek especially during higher precipitation years. Genetic analysis of Walleye tissue samples collected in 2017 showed that 90 percent of Walleye sampled came downstream from Shetek, but some natural reproduction also occurred. Walleye natural reproduction checks using an electrofishing boat have been conducted periodically since 1995. A daytime electrofishing survey was conducted on September 15, 2025 to determine if a year-class was produced either by natural reproduction or drift from Lake Shetek. Young-of-the year Walleye were captured at a rate of 1.5 per hour electrofishing, which indicates that downstream drift from Shetek (despite a strong year class produced there) or natural reproduction was limited. Fall electrofishing surveys should continue annually to document natural reproduction or movement of Walleye from Lake Shetek.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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