White Lake (Freeborn County)
Freeborn County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 24002400
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at White Lake (Freeborn County) since 2016, most recently northern pike fry in 2018 (25,220 fish).
- White Lake (Freeborn County) has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2016-2018): northern pike (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is northern pike: 65,666 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 4 ft; surface area 168 acres, 2.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, goldfish, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, yellow perch.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Freeborn County, nearest town Albert Lea; DNR lake number (DOW) 24002400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Northern Pike | fry | 25,220 | 0.8 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fry | 40,446 | 0.6 |
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.
DNR fish survey, 2015
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green sunfish | Standard gill nets | 133.00 | 133 | 0.02 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 13.00 | 13 | 0.21 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 10 | 0.21 |
| GOF | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 94.44 | 850 | 0.02 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 70.89 | 638 | 0.08 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.18 |
| GOF | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.62 |
| Fathead minnow | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 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.
White Lake, also known as Lake Chapeau, is a 168 acre lake located in Freeborn County near the town of Albert Lea. It has a maximum depth of 5 feet, with the entire surface area classified as littoral. Very little is known about the lake to this point and it has not been managed by DNR Fisheries due to a lack of public access. However, its connection to downstream lakes and as a potential Common Carp source makes it worth assessing as part of a larger watershed-scale management strategy. Rotenone reclamation was presented in 2010 as a tool to improve water quality and habitat but was met with opposition from public stakeholders. Previous data from White Lake were limited to a Special Assessment in 2010 using one gill net and 4 nonstandard trap nets. Regular dissolved oxygen monitoring has not taken place on White Lake, but winterkill events have likely occurred concurrently with other shallow lakes in the area. White Lake was surveyed the week of July 6, 2015 to establish a fisheries management plan with the hope that a public access will eventually be built on the lake. The fish community was assessed using one gill net and nine trap nets and water quality was recorded using secchi depth, dissolved oxygen, and temperature measurements. Yellow Perch A total of 13 Yellow Perch were sampled with the gill net for a catch rate of 13.0/net. This represents a drastic decline from the 2010 catch rate of 260/net. Lengths ranged from 7.1 to 8.3 inches with an average of 7.7 inches. Another 11 Yellow Perch ranging from 5.5 to 8.0 inches were sampled with trap nets. Fish from both gears were 1 or 2 years old, with 1 year old fish comprising over 91% of the sample. The drastic drop in catch rate from 2010 to 2015 and the young age of fish in the sample suggest that the population has experienced a significant mortality event in the recent past, most likely a winterkill in 2013-2014. Black Bullhead A total of 638 Black Bullheads ranging from 3.8 to 11.1 inches long were sampled with trap nets for a catch rate of 70.9/net. This represents an increase in abundance since the 2010 assessment that sampled 23.0/net, providing further proof that the lake most likely winterkilled between 2010 and 2015. An additional 10 Black Bullheads were sampled with the gill net. Given the shallow and winterkill-prone nature of White Lake, Black Bullheads are likely to remain a substantial member of a simple fish community. Other Species Other species sampled in 2015 include Fathead Minnow, Goldfish, Green Sunfish, and hybrid sunfish. Green Sunfish were the most commonly sampled fish…
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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