Town Lake
Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03026400
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Town Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (105,000 fish).
- Town Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 995,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 15 ft; surface area 125 acres, 125 littoral acres, 3.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Becker County, nearest town Frazee; DNR lake number (DOW) 03026400.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 1.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.9 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 105,000 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 155,000 | 1.3 |
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 | city | E shore - adjacent to swimming beach - Broken, narrow concrete ramp with limited parking along the street. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 68.25 | 273 | 0.11 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 15.75 | 63 | 1.99 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 11.25 | 45 | 0.13 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 28 | 0.21 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 12 | 2.10 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 8 | 0.62 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 6 | 3.38 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 6 | 0.69 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 17.78 | 160 | 0.26 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 7.67 | 69 | 0.26 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.43 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.25 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.65 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.77 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 4.17 |
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.
Town Lake is a relatively shallow lake that is subject to partial winterkills of some fish species. A standard survey was conducted in June 2025 using four gill nets and eight trap nets. A total of six Walleye were sampled during the 2025 assessment. Walleye are rarely captured during surveys; therefore, this marked the most Walleye captured historically. The Walleye ranged from 16 to 25 inches long and averaged 21.8 inches long. Bluegill captured in 2025 were of respectable size. Nearly 70 percent measured seven inches or longer, with a maximum length of 8.9 inches. Bluegill catch rates in trap nets were lower in 2025 than in any previous survey, and below average for lakes of similar biological characteristics. Ten Black Crappie were captured during the 2025 assessment. Crappies captured in trap nets ranged from 6.1 inches to 12.1 inches, with an average length of nine inches. The population of Northern Pike in Town Lake has remained relatively stable over the years. Nearly 16 pike were sampled in each gill net, which was the highest catch rate on record. The average length of pike sampled was 20.5 inches, and the maximum length sampled was 31 inches. The natural characteristics of Town Lake make it ideal for Northern Pike, with abundant spawning habitat. Yellow Perch sampled during the 2025 survey were between 5.2 and 10.4 inches, with an average length of 6.9 inches. The 2025 survey yielded the highest number of perch captured, with gill net catch rates of 68 per net. The population is well above normal range for lakes of similar conditions, and surprisingly stable, given the high Northern Pike population. Black, Yellow, and Brown Bullheads are all present in Town Lake. Bullheads were primarily 10 to 13 inches long. Other fish sampled during the 2025 assessment included Bowfin, hybrid sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.
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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