Winona Lake (Winona County)

Winona County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 85001100

DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Winona Lake (Winona County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (4,617 fish).

• Winona Lake (Winona County) has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2024): walleye (4).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 17,447 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 308 acres, 278 littoral acres, 5.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.2 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, longnose gar, and 12 more.
• 6 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: June 23, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Winona County, nearest town Winona; DNR lake number (DOW) 85001100.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. ² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

The 318 acre Lake Winona is located in the City of Winona and is surrounded by city park and biking path. There are two distinct basins to the lake. The upper (West) basin is generally shallow with little depth diversity, while the lower (East) basin has more depth and habitat diversity. A dredging project completed in 2001 on the lower basin created a larger area of deeper water with less vegetation to hinder recreation. Fish communities are similar in the two basins, but most fishing pressure occurs in the lower basin. There are three public boat accesses and three fishing piers on the lake. There is also ample opportunity for shore angling. Many fish houses can be seen utilizing the lake in winter months. There is an outlet from the lake that eventually connects to the Mississippi River. The outlet is controlled by a city owned concrete dam with 0.8 foot head. There was an electrical barrier operated by the city above the dam to impede influx of Common Carp and other fish species from the Mississippi River. The electrical barrier was removed when the bridge where it operated was replaced in 2022 due to lack of a public entity willing to pay for reinstallation or future maintenance. Sand is the most common substrate in Lake Winona. The upper basin is dominated by muck near the inlet. Gravel, silt, clay, rock, muck, and rubble are rare throughout both basins. Burreed, bushy pondweed, cattail, curly-leaf pondweed, duckweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, coontail, purple loosestrife, sago pondweed, and water meal can all be found. Curly-leaf pondweed dominates much of Lake Winona in May and June. There are a few areas in the lower basin that reach 38 feet in depth. Much of the shoreline is sandy with a gradual drop off. Lake Winona provides good fishing for quality size Largemouth Bass and in recent years has provided quality fishing for Bluegill. The average size of Bluegill has shown improvement since the 2001 dredging project. Other gamefish species include Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Walleye and Yellow Perch. Walleye fingerlings were stocked annually (100 pounds) until 2012, but now stocking is done in alternate (even number) years at a rate of 200 pounds per year. Walleye stocking has provided a relatively consistent population and opportunity for anglers to catch this species. This year's gill net sample revealed an excellent Walleye population of various size ranges.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, June 23, 2025.

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