Wells Lake
Rice County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 66001000
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Wells Lake since 2023, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (158,500 fish).
- Wells Lake has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2023-2025): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 475,500 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 4 ft; surface area 677 acres, 677 littoral acres, 12.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white bass, and 3 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Rice County, nearest town Faribault; DNR lake number (DOW) 66001000.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 158,500 | 1.3 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 158,500 | 1.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 158,500 | 1.2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| O | county | - Shore access off county road between Cannon and Wells lakes. |
| O | county | - Shore access with fishing pier at Kill Mill dam on west side of Faribault. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - Boat ramp on Cannon Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 109.00 | 981 | 0.06 |
| White bass | Standard gill nets | 22.78 | 205 | 0.27 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 15.78 | 142 | 0.11 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 11.44 | 103 | 2.28 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 8.44 | 76 | 0.67 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 7.00 | 63 | 2.80 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 6.11 | 55 | 0.36 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 5.44 | 49 | 0.07 |
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.
Wells Lake is a 634-acre lake located in Rice County west of the city of Faribault. The lake is accessible by boat from Cannon Lake. Wells Lake is a very shallow, eutrophic lake with a maximum depth of 4 feet. Wells Lake is managed primarily for Walleye. Although no stocking takes place, Walleye and other game fish regularly migrate into Wells Lake from Cannon Lake and other lakes within the Cannon River chain. A targeted survey was conducted the week of August 17, 2020 as part of a regular monitoring program conducted by Minnesota DNR. This survey was intended to assess the fish community by deploying nine gill nets as well as recording water quality parameters. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only gillnets were used in order to comply with social distancing protocols. Results from this survey can be compared to historical standard surveys since standardized methods were used. Walleye abundance in Wells Lake increased from 0.3 fish/gill net in 2009 to a record high 23.8 fish/gill net in 2014. In 2020, the Walleye catch rate was 11.4/gill net. Walleye lengths ranged from 13.1 to 27.3 inches and averaged 17.5 inches. Fifty-eight percent of Walleye sampled were age-1, indicating a strong year class from 2019. These young Walleye most likely migrated into Wells Lake from Cannon Lake, which was stocked with Walleye fry in 2019. Wells and Cannon Lake are directly connected by water under a bridge, so the likelihood of fish migration is high. The warm, shallow, productive waters of Wells Lake may serve as a nursery habitat for Walleye and other young game fish to grow in early life stages before migrating throughout the Cannon River chain of lakes. Yellow Perch catch rates in Wells Lake have varied greatly throughout the survey history, as abundance is dependent on spawning success from year to year. The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate in Wells Lake dropped from 29.8 fish/net in 2014 to 15.8 fish/net in 2020. This catch rate was below the long-term average for Wells Lake (20.9 fish/net). Yellow Perch lengths ranged from 3.0 to 11.1 inches and averaged 6.7 inches. Yellow Perch populations throughout the Cannon River chain of lakes tend to be comprised of small fish, however some Yellow Perch angling takes place. Northern Pike abundance in Wells Lake has been relatively low throughout the survey history. The 2020 gill net catch rate of 0.9 fish/net was slightly below the long-term average for Wells Lake (1.2 fish/net). Lengths of Northern Pike ranged from 11.0 to 30.1inches and averaged 23.8 inches. All Northern Pike collected in this survey were age-3 (2017…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.