Whitefish Lake (Polk County)
Polk County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 60001500
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Whitefish Lake (Polk County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (183,000 fish).
- Whitefish Lake (Polk County) has 7 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2017-2025): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,323,730 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 18 ft; surface area 243 acres, 183 littoral acres, 2.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Polk County, nearest town Fosston; DNR lake number (DOW) 60001500.
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 | 183,000 | 1.8 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 179,980 | 1.7 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 183,000 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 183,000 | 1.5 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 183,000 | 1.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 183,000 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 228,750 | 2.0 |
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 | DNR-Owned access on east end of lake off of 390th Ave. - No dock, cattail bogs commonly block access. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 264.00 | 792 | 0.06 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 25.67 | 77 | 0.08 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 11.33 | 34 | 2.42 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 7.67 | 23 | 0.04 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.67 | 17 | 2.16 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 5 | 0.07 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 5 | 2.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.33 | 50 | 0.08 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 4.50 | 27 | 0.12 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 4.50 | 27 | 0.06 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 2.50 | 15 | 3.01 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.17 | 13 | 0.09 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 2.62 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 2.76 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.60 |
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.
Whitefish Lake is 226-acres with a maximum depth of 18 feet. Blue-green algal blooms are common during most summers and dissolved oxygen can become low during severe winters leading to periodic winterkills. The last known winterkill occurred in the winter of 2017-2018. A standard survey was completed on Whitefish Lake from 08/04/2025 to 08/05/2025 to assess the fish community. Northern Pike abundance declined slightly from the last survey in 2015. The Northern Pike gill net catch rate in 2025 was nearly six fish per net. Pike averaged 22 inches, with a maximum length of 25 inches. There was a record-high abundance of Walleye in Whitefish Lake in 2025. The Walleye gill net catch rate was 11 fish per net. Size ranged from 14 to 26 inches, with Walleye averaging almost 19 inches long. The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate in 2025 was 26 fish per net, which was well below the lake average of 53 fish per net. The average length of Yellow Perch was 5.9 inches and lengths ranged from 5.6 to 6.5 inches. Historically, Whitefish Lake is not known as a good sunfish lake. During the 2025 survey, Bluegill were sampled in Whitefish Lake for the first time since 1976 at a rate of 8 fish per trap net. The mean length of Bluegill was six inches with a max length of eight inches. Only two Black Crappie were captured, and no Largemouth Bass were captured. Black Bullhead were very abundant in Whitefish Lake. The 2025 gill net catch rate of Black Bullhead was 264 per net. Black Bullhead averaged seven inches in length. Other species sampled during this survey included Brown Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, and White Sucker. Anglers can help to maintain balance in fish populations by voluntarily releasing a portion of medium and large fish and keeping smaller ones for eating. This is particularly true for Northern Pike and Bluegill. Shoreline owners and other watershed dwellers can help to maintain or improve water quality and fish habitat by leaving shoreline buffer zones, by leaving stands of native aquatic vegetation intact, by taking precautions to prevent invasive species introductions, and by using wise land management practices.
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.