Whaletail Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 27018400
Whaletail Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Whaletail Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 22 ft; surface area 510 acres, 469 littoral acres, 6.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white crappie, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hennepin County, nearest town Saint Bonifacius; DNR lake number (DOW) 27018400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - Public access on south shore of northwest basin. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 39.44 | 355 | 0.06 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 5.78 | 52 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 5.56 | 50 | 0.75 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.44 | 31 | 0.13 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 3.57 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 2.68 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.21 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 8.30 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 17.33 | 104 | 0.11 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 13.33 | 80 | 0.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 54 | 3.43 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.83 | 53 | 0.08 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.83 | 17 | 0.75 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 12 | 1.98 |
| Golden shiner | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 10 | 0.08 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.04 |
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.
Whaletail Lake is 510-acres (469 littoral acres) with a maximum depth of 22 feet. Whaletail is located northeast of St. Bonifacious in southwestern Hennepin County. Public water access is provided by DNR Parks and Trails on the northwest side of the lake off of County road 92 and West Highland road (up to 16 vehicle/trailer parking spaces). Whaletail is primarily managed for Northern Pike and Black Crappie, but also supports catchable populations of Bluegill and Largemouth Bass. A Standard Survey (9 trap nets/6 gill nets) was conducted on Whaletail Lake during the week of 7/26/2021 to assess the fishery. During the 2021 survey, Whaletail was productive (brown-green stained water), with low water clarity, measured at 3 feet during the time of this survey. Dissolved oxygen was zero parts per million (ppm) below 11 feet during the survey period. Eurasian Watermilfoil has been found in Whaletail Lake and remains present. Northern Pike were sampled with gill nets (9.0/net), at a comparable rate to similar lakes in the metro. The 2021 survey marked the highest Northern Pike catch rate in the previous 25 years. Although record catches were recorded, this did not negatively impact Northern Pike size structure. There were 54 Northern Pike sampled in gill nets, with an average size of 24.9 inches and the largest measured at 34.3 inches. Northern Pike size indices describe a balanced population (an intermediate between high numbers of small fish and few numbers of large fish). Northern Pike growth was fast compared to similar lakes across the metro, with an average length of 22.7 inches by age 4. Northern Pike had an annual mortality estimate of 37%, and consistent recruitment, with 6 consecutive year classes present during sampling and age analysis. Northern Pike in Whaletail Lake appear to be thriving with high numbers, fast growth, consistent recruitment, and low mortality. As a reminder, anglers can keep 10 northern pike on Whaletail Lake, but not more than two pike longer than 26 inches; and all from 22 to 26 inches must be released. Moderate numbers of Black Crappie were sampled with gill nets (17.5/net) and trap nets (5.8/net). There were 153 Black Crappie sampled during the 2021 survey, with an average length of 6.5 inches and the largest measured at 9.5 inches. Black Crappie in Whaletail Lake were mainly composed of small individuals with only 12% of fish sampled greater than 8 inches. Black Crappie growth was typical of the metro area, with an average length of 6.6 inches by age 3. Black Crappie mortality was high with an estimated annual mortality rate…
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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