Waconia Lake
Carver County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 10005900
DNR records show 18 stocking entries at Waconia Lake since 2016, most recently muskellunge fingerlings in 2025 (1,660 fish).
- Waconia Lake has 18 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): muskellunge (11), walleye (6), iod (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,015,045 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 37 ft; surface area 3,080 acres, 1,660 littoral acres, 10.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, and 4 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Carver County, nearest town Waconia; DNR lake number (DOW) 10005900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/12/1959 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Muskellunge9 | fingerlings | 1,660 | 525.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 31,090 | 1,663.0 |
| 2024 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 830 | 130.8 |
| 2023 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 830 | 197.6 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 43,524 | 1,674.0 |
| 2022 | IOD | fingerlings | 920 | 0.6 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 829 | 207.1 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 829 | 232.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 36,022 | 1,660.0 |
| 2020 | Muskellunge9 | yearlings | 205 | 205.0 |
| 2019 | Muskellunge1 | fingerlings | 510 | 122.3 |
| 2019 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 320 | 91.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 37,755 | 1,659.7 |
| 2018 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 823 | 155.0 |
| 2017 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 830 | 161.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 36,654 | 1,658.9 |
| 2016 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 830 | 160.1 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 830,000 | 8.4 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking. 9 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by DNR and other agencies or 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 | Eastern side of Lake Waconia, off of Laketown Pkwy, intersection of county road 30 and 155 |
| concrete ramp | city | In the City of Waconia near 335 Lakeview Terrace Blvd |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 90.50 | 1,086 | 0.06 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 19.58 | 235 | 0.18 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 9.92 | 119 | 0.26 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.83 | 22 | 0.27 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.08 | 13 | 0.77 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 0.06 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.12 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.68 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 11.42 | 137 | 0.13 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 8.50 | 102 | 0.20 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.08 | 85 | 2.21 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.42 | 53 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.83 | 46 | 0.31 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 42 | 4.97 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.42 | 41 | 0.67 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.17 | 38 | 4.28 |
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.
Lake Waconia is 3080-acres (1660 littoral acres) with a maximum depth of 37 feet. Lake Waconia is located north of the City of Waconia in central Carver County. Waconia is primarily managed for Walleye (special regulation: 16 inch minimum length) and Muskellunge. Walleye are fingerling-stocked at 1 pound per littoral acre (1,660 pounds) biennially, while Muskellunge fingerlings (830 fish) are stocked annually in the fall. In addition to the primarily managed Walleye and Muskellunge, Lake Waconia supports catchable populations of Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Black Crappie. Public water access is provided at three locations around Lake Waconia. The DNR access on the east side of the lake near the intersection of County Road 30 and 155 (concreate ramp; parking available for up to 40 vehicle/trailers), while the regional park provides access on the southeast side of the lake (two concreate ramps; parking for up to 34 vehicle/trailers). One additional access (mainly used in winter) is maintained by the city of Waconia on the southwest side of the lake off Lakeview Terrace Blvd (concreate ramp; up to 8 vehicle/trailer parking spaces). A Standard Survey (12 trap nets/12 gill nets) was conducted on Lake Waconia during the week of 8/4/2025 to monitor water characteristics and fish populations. Water color was clear, with moderately good water clarity, measured at 7.0 feet during the time of this survey. Dissolved oxygen fell to zero parts per million at 28 feet, meaning fish would be unable to use water depths greater than 18 feet during mid-summer. Eurasian Watermilfoil and Zebra Mussels have been found in Lake Waconia and remain present, providing a good reminder of the clean, drain, dispose law which helps to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species: Clean all aquatic plants, zebra mussels, and other invasive species from boats, trailers, and water-related equipment. Drain water from your boat, ballast tanks, motor, live well and bait container. Remove drain plugs and keep drain plugs out while transporting equipment. Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash. To keep live bait, drain the water and refill the bait container with bottled or tap water. High numbers of Walleye were sampled with gill nets (7.1/net), above the expected catch rate of similar lakes. There were 85 Walleye sampled in gill nets, with an average size of 18.1 inches and the largest measured at 26.6 inches. Walleye size structure was balanced (an intermediate between high numbers of small fish and few numbers of large fish). Growth rates were fast compared…
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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