Washington Lake (Meeker County)
Meeker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 47004600
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Washington Lake (Meeker County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (1,133,152 fish).
- Washington Lake (Meeker County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 6,780,668 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 17 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 2,438 acres, 2,266 littoral acres, 10.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and 6 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Meeker County, nearest town Darwin; DNR lake number (DOW) 47004600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 4/13/1971 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 1,133,152 | 11.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 1,131,226 | 10.7 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 1,136,738 | 10.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 1,113,552 | 9.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 2,266,000 | 21.4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | Minnesota DNR | |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | |
| CU | county |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 98.80 | 1,482 | 0.02 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 6.93 | 104 | 0.18 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.60 | 39 | 0.05 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 35 | 0.87 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.60 | 24 | 0.06 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.20 | 18 | 3.15 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.07 | 16 | 0.14 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.47 | 7 | 0.24 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.27 | 79 | 1.76 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 65 | 2.81 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 4.20 | 63 | 0.89 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.93 | 59 | 0.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.93 | 59 | 0.11 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.27 | 49 | 0.09 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.87 | 28 | 0.66 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.87 | 13 | 0.12 |
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.
Washington is a large-sized lake (2,438 acres) located south of the Town of Darwin in Meeker County. A large state-owned access with paved parking and a double cement boat ramp is present on the south shore. There is also a small cement plank access, with limited parking, on the east shore. Boaters can also access Washington from Stella Lake, through a culvert under County Highway 14 - when the water level is deep enough. Washington has approximately ten miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of seventeen feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Washington is a class 41 lake and another similar waterbody in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area is Jennie Lake in Meeker County. Washington's 2021 lake management plan listed Walleye, Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass as primary management species, while Black Crappie and Bluegill were secondary species. Netting was completed in 2025 to monitor the fish population and evaluate the 2019 Walleye stocking regime (500 Spicer strain fry per littoral acre every other year). Moderate numbers of Walleye were gill netted in 2025, but size was nice. Walleye averaged 16 inches in length. The longest Walleye sampled was almost 27 inches. Smallmouth Bass were not netted in this survey, but bass anglers still reported catching them in their outings in 2025. Low numbers of Largemouth Bass were netted in 2025, but bass often sample better using electrofishing gear - sampling which was not done this year. Maximum length for Largemouth Bass was a respectable 17 inches. Low numbers of Black Crappie were netted in 2025, and size was small. Most of the crappie were less than 5 inches in length. Maximum crappie length was a respectable 11 inches. Record high numbers of Bluegill were trap netted, but size was small (average length of 4 inches). Some keeper-sized (6 inches or longer) Bluegill were present. Maximum Bluegill length was just over 7 inches. Low numbers of Northern Pike were gill netted this year with fish averaging a decent 23 inches in length. The longest pike captured was 29 inches. Northern Pike regulations were revised at a statewide level beginning in 2018 to better accommodate regional differences in pike habitats, population abundances and size structures. Three management zones were established for Northern Pike, with their own bag limit and length limit restrictions. In the north-central zone, where Washington Lake is found, anglers can keep ten Northern Pike, but only two can be…
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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