Two Rivers Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73013800
DNR records show 12 stocking entries at Two Rivers Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (686 fish).
- Two Rivers Lake has 12 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2024): walleye (12).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 52,537 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 63 ft, mean depth 21 ft; surface area 583 acres, 201 littoral acres, 6.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Holdingford; DNR lake number (DOW) 73013800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 686 | 312.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 972 | 162.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,000 | 250.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 6,070 | 206.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 3,135 | 209.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,250 | 250.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,000 | 250.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 107 | 107.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,067 | 159.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,750 | 250.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 10,000 | 500.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 7,500 | 250.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | Minnesota DNR | The state owned public access is on the west side in sections 31 and 36- off CSAH 10. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 62.69 | 815 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 30.85 | 401 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 9.38 | 122 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 5.00 | 65 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | 50-ft beach seine | 4.69 | 61 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 2.31 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 0.85 | 11 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 50-ft beach seine | 0.69 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 52.00 | 52 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 15-ft beach seine | 10.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 22.89 | 206 | 0.18 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 4.44 | 40 | 0.26 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 2.42 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.07 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 2.61 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.04 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 4.07 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.04 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 13.65 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 11.70 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 8.45 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 8.45 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 6.50 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 5.20 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 4.55 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Common carp | Backpack electrofishing | 2.60 | 4 | 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 of nearshore fish species in Two Rivers Lake was conducted beginning July 8th, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 14 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 13 stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 22 species of fish including 3 species that are intolerant of disturbance (Iowa Darter, Blackchin shiner, and Smallmout Bass) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish and Common Carp). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 10 species of fish. Bluegill and Black Crappie comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Bluegill, White Sucker, and Northern Pike comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a July 2023 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner and Iowa Darter), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Two Rivers Lake is adversely impacted by stressors, as indicated by an FIBI score below the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings, which indicated that Two Rivers Lake is impaired for biological health. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River - Sartell watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish…
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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