Union Lake (Rice County)
Rice County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 66003200
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Union Lake (Rice County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2023 (992,500 fish).
- Union Lake (Rice County) has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2023): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,217,846 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 10 ft; surface area 397 acres, 397 littoral acres, 5.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.9 ft.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Rice County, nearest town Little Chicago; DNR lake number (DOW) 66003200.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 992,500 | 8.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 1,411,483 | 13.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 1,398,315 | 11.3 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 415,548 | 3.4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | county | - N.E. SHORE |
DNR fish survey, 2015
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 67.20 | 336 | 0.14 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 45.20 | 226 | 0.06 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 43.20 | 216 | 0.15 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 37.40 | 187 | 0.32 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 28.00 | 140 | 1.75 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 2.40 | 12 | 0.07 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.60 | 8 | 0.78 |
| Green sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.20 | 6 | 0.04 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 44.78 | 403 | 0.39 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.11 | 73 | 0.03 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 7.00 | 63 | 0.16 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 6.00 | 54 | 0.15 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.22 | 29 | 0.03 |
| Tadpole madtom | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.04 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.03 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 1.58 |
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.
Union Lake is a 403 acre lake located in Rice County near the town of Little Chicago. A county-owned earthen access is located on the northeast side of the lake off Rice County Highway 46. Union Lake has a maximum depth of 10 feet and is placed in Lake Class 43, which includes other Waterville Area Lakes such as Circle Lake (Rice County), Crystal Lake (Blue Earth County), Gorman Lake (Le Sueur County), and Pickeral Lake (Freeborn County). Union Lake is managed as a "boom and bust" fishery primarily for Black Crappie, Bluegill, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch and secondarily for Walleye. The management plan calls for Black Crappie and Bluegill adults and Walleye fry to be stocked following evidence of a winterkill. It also allows for the removal of Walleye, Northern Pike, or Yellow Perch as needed for management purposes. Recent stocking events are limited to Walleye fry in 2014 and 2015. Low dissolved oxygen levels during the winter of 2013-2014 and the results of the subsequent spring trap net assessment suggest the lake experienced a strong winterkill. Union Lake was surveyed the week of July 20, 2015 as part of a regular monitoring program conducted by the Minnesota DNR. This survey was intended to assess the fish community by deploying five gill nets and nine trap nets, as well as recording water quality parameters. Black Crappie No Black Crappies were sampled for the second consecutive survey since 2005. Since 1984 (n=4), trap net catch rates have varied from 0/net in 2005 and 2015 to 24.7/net in 1984 with an average of 6.5/net. Winterkill events appear to have eliminated the Black Crappie population from Union Lake and have surprisingly not rebounded like other game species in the lake. Stocking Black Crappie adults should be considered in order to reintroduce the species to Union Lake. Bluegill A total of 73 Bluegills were sampled with trap nets for a catch rate of 8.1/net, indicating moderate to high numbers were present. Since 1984 (n=4), catch rates have varied from 0/net in 1984 to 60.7/net in 2005 with an average of 18.6/net. Lengths ranged from 3.2 to 4.6 inches with an average of 3.8 inches. An additional 12 Bluegills ranging from 3.6 to 7.9 inches were sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 2.4/net. Fish from both gears were 0 or 1 year old with the exception of one 8 year old fish. Overall, the Bluegill population in Union Lake is in a state of recovery from the 2013-2014 winterkill and is dominated by small, young fish. Northern Pike Northern Pike were sampled at an extremely high rate in 2015. A total of 140 fish were sampled with…
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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