Toad Lake
Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03010700
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Toad Lake since 2017, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (2,741 fish).
- Toad Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 44,941 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 29 ft, mean depth 21 ft; surface area 1,715 acres, 561 littoral acres, 10.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, and 3 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Becker County, nearest town Osage; DNR lake number (DOW) 03010700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/28/1955 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 2,741 | 321.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 426 | 249.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,358 | 191.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 15,396 | 561.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 5,730 | 565.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,188 | 63.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,000 | 500.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 6,102 | 561.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| asphalt ramp | Minnesota DNR | South shore off CSAH #124. |
| earthen ramp | PRI | Northern Inn access on north end of lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 15.42 | 185 | 0.16 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 3.25 | 39 | 0.53 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.42 | 17 | 0.23 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.08 | 13 | 0.31 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 12 | 0.72 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 4.48 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 8 | 3.44 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 10.33 | 124 | 1.99 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 9.92 | 119 | 0.90 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.58 | 79 | 2.17 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 42 | 1.30 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.83 | 34 | 0.46 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.83 | 22 | 0.22 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 16 | 0.50 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 15 | 0.08 |
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.
Toad (also referred to as Big Toad) Lake is a 1,715-acre lake located in central Becker County, 21 miles east of the city of Detroit Lakes. The shoreline of the lake is moderately developed, primarily along its northern and southwestern shores. The Toad Lake Aquatic Management Area (AMA) protects 115.1 acres of land adjacent to the lake. Toad Lake's robust fishery provides angling opportunities for Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, among other species. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Toad Lake in August 2021. Walleye catch rates have remained stable in Toad Lake since initial surveying in 1959, averaging about 14 Walleye per net. During the 2021 survey about 10 Walleye were caught per net on average. Sampled Walleye ranged in length from 11.5 to 27.5 inches, averaging 17 inches long. Aging of fish found that a four year old Walleye in Toad Lake measured 17.2 inches, revealing fast growth relative to statewide indices. The abundance of Northern Pike in gill nets declined slightly from the 2016 survey (10.2 per net) to almost seven pike per net in 2021. Sampled Northern Pike ranged in length from 15.2 to 33.3 inches, averaging 21.5 inches long. Pike between 20 and 24 inches in length were most abundant, accounting for 69.6% of total pike catch. The 2021 average catch rate of Bluegill was about 15 fish per trap net, equivalent to the lake's historical average. Sampled Bluegill ranged in length from 3.3 to 8.7 inches, averaging 5.7 inches long. Bluegill exhibit relatively slow growth in Toad Lake, reaching an average length of 4.1 inches by age four. Black Crappie catch rates have remained low in Toad Lake since initial surveying in 1959, however this species is notoriously hard to sample. The 2021 mean catch rate was one crappie per trap net. Sampled Black Crappie ranged in length from 9.7 to 12.3 inches, averaging 11.1 inches long. About one Largemouth Bass was caught per trap net. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 5.4 to 16.5 inches, averaging 7.0 inches long. Yellow Perch catch rates remain low in Toad Lake. On average, about one perch was caught per net in 2021. Yellow Perch ranged in length from 5 to 11.2 inches, averaging 7.4 inches long. Additional species sampled in the 2021 survey included Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin, Common Carp, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Hybrid sunfish, and White Sucker. Yellow Bullhead dominated bullhead catch (3.3 bullhead per trap net) in the 2021 survey. Shoreline owners can help to maintain or improve water quality and fish habitat in Toad Lake by maintaining…
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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