Upper Mission Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 18024200
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Upper Mission Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (285 fish).
- Upper Mission Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 19,429 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 36 ft; surface area 882 acres, 256 littoral acres, 6.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Crow Wing County, nearest town Merrifield; DNR lake number (DOW) 18024200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/20/1968 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 285 | 38.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 436 | 218.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,801 | 256.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,144 | 256.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | adults | 1 | 1.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 502 | 156.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,100 | 146.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 680 | 258.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,480 | 49.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | North side of lake off of Co. Rd. 109. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 93.11 | 98 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 56.06 | 59 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 48.46 | 51 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 48.46 | 51 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 45.61 | 48 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 38.00 | 40 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 13.30 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 8.55 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 63.00 | 441 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 55.14 | 386 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 44.57 | 312 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 42.57 | 298 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 15.43 | 108 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 9.71 | 68 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 9.00 | 63 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 1.43 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 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.
Upper Mission Lake is an 882 acre lake, with a maximum depth of 36', located just northeast of the town of Ossipee, MN. Upper Mission is in the Mississippi River-Brainerd Watershed. A nearshore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. Fourteen 100' long sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lakeshore. Each station was then sampled by backpack electrofishing, and if conditions allowed with a 15' or 50' 1/8th inch seine. The survey took place July 27, 2022, with all 14 stations sampled by backpack electrofishing. The 50' 1/8th inch seine was used at 7 stations and the 15' 1/8th inch seine was used at 1 station. Sixteen species were sampled, including four species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance: Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Banded Killifish, and Rock Bass. This nearshore survey will be used along with the gill net and trap net survey conducted the week of June 13th, 2022, to calculate a Fish-Based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health by the types of fish species present and comparing it to what is expected for this type of lake.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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