Thunderbird Lake
Lake County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 38003100
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Thunderbird Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (88,000 fish).
- Thunderbird Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 449,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 18 ft; surface area 97 acres, 88 littoral acres, 2.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Lake County, nearest town Schroeder; DNR lake number (DOW) 38003100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 88,000 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 88,000 | 0.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 88,000 | 0.8 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 97,000 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 88,000 | 0.9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | Minnesota DNR | At trailhead off of Thunder Road; then northwest 0.75 mile on user developed trail across federal and state lands. |
| PO | Minnesota DNR | Northwest end portage trail to/from Shoepack Lake, 30 yards south of campsite. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 19.17 | 115 | 0.84 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 8.83 | 53 | 1.82 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 5.99 |
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.
Thunderbird Lake is managed primarily for Walleye with fry stockings occurring on a regular interval at the time of this survey. The lake is located 12 miles north of Finland and to the north of Ninemile Lake. Anglers wishing to access the lake should follow a 0.75-mile-long carry-in trail from Thunder Road to the east end of Thunderbird Lake. The 2025 survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Walleye fry stockings and to update information on the fish community. For anglers willing to put in the effort to get to it, Thunderbird Lake continues to provide good opportunities to catch and harvest eater-sized Walleye along with some limited opportunities for larger fish. Walleye catch rates were again well above the normal range relative to similar lakes, but within the historic range observed for Thunderbird Lake. The high catch was largely driven by abundant age-4 fish, which accounted for 77% of the fish captured in the survey. At the time of the survey age-4 Walleye had an average length of 12 inches. The longest Walleye sampled had a length of almost 25 inches and was age-10. In total, 12 different ages of Walleye were present in 2025, including fish from four stocked years and eight years when no stocking occurred. Staff will continue to evaluate if stocking is necessary to maintain a quality Walleye fishery in Thunderbird Lake. Only two Northern Pike were sampled during the survey, they had lengths of 18 and 37 inches. Thunderbird lake continues to maintain a low-density pike population that has the potential to grow large fish. Limited Northern Pike spawning habitat within the lake likely limits pike abundance. White Sucker were the only other species sampled during the survey. No Yellow Perch were sampled during the 2025 survey, but they have historically been sampled in the lake and are likely still present and still serving as a forage species for pike and Walleye.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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