Wilson Lake (Murray County)
Murray County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 51008100
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Wilson Lake (Murray County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (89,997 fish).
- Wilson Lake (Murray County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (8), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 606,229 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 8 ft; surface area 179 acres, 179 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Murray County, nearest town Lake Wilson; DNR lake number (DOW) 51008100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 89,997 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 90,000 | 0.7 |
| 2020 | Walleye | adults | 47 | 93.0 |
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | adults | 30 | 10.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 425,000 | 3.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 266 | 135.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 4 | 8.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 128 | 80.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 787 | 55.0 |
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 | city | - CITY OWNED ACCESS AT THE WEST END OF THE LAKE. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 14.83 | 89 | 0.21 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 14.17 | 85 | 0.37 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.83 | 11 | 0.10 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 10 | 0.46 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 1.03 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.23 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 1.94 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 4.45 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 12.50 | 25 | 0.20 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 8.50 | 17 | 2.60 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 6.50 | 13 | 1.02 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 8 | 0.81 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 7 | 0.27 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 0.07 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 3 | 4.03 |
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.
Lake Wilson is a 170-acre lake located near the City of Lake Wilson in southwest Murray County. Lake Wilson is relatively shallow, having a maximum depth of 8.0 feet. At the time of the assessment, water clarity was 2.5 feet. Lake Wilson is highly productive, likely a result of excessive nutrient runoff from the agriculture dominated watershed and from the impervious surfaces in the City of Lake Wilson. Low dissolve oxygen readings have been documented during several years in Lake Wilson, with the last suspected winterkill occurring during the winter of 2000 and 2001. Currently, Yellow Perch is the primary management species in Lake Wilson, with Black Crappie and Walleye being managed secondarily. The Yellow Perch population had been self-sustaining with no stocking occurring since the 1990's; however, pre-spawn adult Yellow Perch were stocked in 2020 to jumpstart the population. Black crappies are also mostly self-sustaining, with the last stocking occurring in 2003 and 2005. Extensive walleye stocking has occurred in Lake Wilson as multiple life stages of Walleye have been stocked since 2017, with the most recent stocking being Walleye fry in 2025. A standard survey was conducted during the week of June 16, 2025, to monitor fish populations using two gill nets and six trap nets. The 2025 Yellow Perch catch rate was 3.5 per gill net, which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.7 to 25.0 per gill net) but is below the long-term average of 17.4 per gill net. Yellow perch populations tend to be highly variable, which is reflected in the catches of yellow perch in Lake Wilson. Yellow perch populations can follow a pattern where a strong year class is produced, then followed by one to two years of little to no reproduction, resulting in a boom or bust fishery. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 7.1 to 9.1 inches and averaged 8.1 inches. The 2025 yellow perch catch rate met the management goal and the population will continue to be monitored in future surveys. Black crappie trap net catch rates have varied greatly in Lake Wilson, ranging from 0.2 per trap net in 2013 to 14.2 per trap net in 2025. The 2025 catch rate of 14.2 was the highest observed catch rate at Lake Wilson in survey history. The 2025 catch rate of 14.2 per trap net is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.2 to 20.5 per trap net). Lengths of Black Crappie ranged from 4.2 to 12.1 inches and averaged 8.2 inches. Black Crappie management goals were met and will likely provide a quality fishing opportunity. Walleyes were first stocked in Lake…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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