Winsted Lake
McLeod County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 43001200
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Winsted Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (192,267 fish).
- Winsted Lake has 11 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (5), bluegill sunfish (2), largemouth bass (2), northern pike (1), and 1 more species.
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,340,330 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 12 ft, mean depth 6 ft; surface area 382 acres, 382 littoral acres, 4.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- McLeod County, nearest town Winsted; DNR lake number (DOW) 43001200.
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 | 192,267 | 1.9 |
| 2024 | Northern Pike | adults | 18 | 43.1 |
| 2023 | Black Crappie | adults | 84 | 23.2 |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 52 | 10.4 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 192,774 | 1.8 |
| 2021 | Bluegill Sunfish | adults | 373 | 47.2 |
| 2021 | Largemouth Bass | yearlings | 20 | 4.5 |
| 2021 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 20 | 40.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 191,289 | 1.7 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 382,000 | 3.1 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 382,000 | 3.6 |
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.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 66.56 | 599 | 0.02 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 24.33 | 219 | 0.18 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 17.44 | 157 | 1.01 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 11.56 | 104 | 0.08 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.37 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 1.11 | 10 | 2.52 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.26 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 0.11 | 1 | 1.49 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 15.86 | 111 | 0.04 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 7.14 | 50 | 0.23 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 2.86 | 20 | 5.53 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard trap nets | 1.86 | 13 | 6.51 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.71 | 12 | 0.05 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.29 | 2 | 0.03 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.14 | 1 | 0.22 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.14 | 1 | 2.22 |
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.
Winsted is a medium sized lake (382 acres) located near the City of Winsted in McLeod County. A small state-owned access with a single cement boat ramp is located on the southeast shore. Winsted has four miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 12 feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Winsted is a class 43 lake and other similar lakes in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area are Swan and Hook. Winsted Lake is aerated during the winter to provide a small refuge area for fish during severe winters. Winter anglers are advised to stay clear of thin ice signs. Fish populations can fluctuate widely from year to year due to winterkill. Winsted Lake experienced a partial winterkill in 2021 and game fish populations declined substantially from the previous two surveys (2009 and 2015). Winsted is known for its decent crappie, Northern Pike, and Walleye angling. The highlight of the 2021 standard survey was the record high catch of Black Crappie. Unfortunately, only 1 fish was over 6 inches in length. However, fish growth following a partial winterkill can be fast and the high numbers of 4 to 5 inch long crappie could provide excellent fishing in a year or two. Walleye and Channel Catfish were not sampled in the 2021 summer survey. Extremely low numbers of Northern Pike (1), Bluegill (1) and Largemouth Bass (3) were netted this summer. Adult Bluegill and LargemouthBass, plus Walleye fry, were stocked in the spring of 2021 following the partial winterkill and prior to this netting. The goal of stocking broodstock adults is for those adult fish to spawn in the spring and hopefully produce large year classes that same year. If successful, those fish should grow to catchable sizes within a few years and reproduce, re-establishing a diverse game fish community. The 2021 lake management plan for Winsted Lake calls for Walleye fry to be stocked every other year. Other species that anglers may encounter include Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Orangespotted Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Overharvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are typically moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters and lakeshore owners, and can adversely impact lakes and 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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