Yankton Lake
Lyon County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 42004700
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Yankton Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (193,500 fish).
- Yankton Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2017-2024): walleye (6), northern pike (2), black crappie (1), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,161,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 8 ft; surface area 403 acres, 401 littoral acres, 4.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 1.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, walleye, white crappie, and 3 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Lyon County, nearest town Balaton; DNR lake number (DOW) 42004700.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 193,500 | 1.5 |
| 2023 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 616 | 88.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 193,500 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 193,500 | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Black Crappie1 | adults | 1,200 | 300.0 |
| 2019 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 194 | 4.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 193,500 | 1.6 |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | adults | 1,862 | 262.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 193,500 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 193,500 | 1.6 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | STATE OWNED PUBLIC BOAT ACCESS ON SOUTH END. |
| gravel ramp | county | - COUNTY OWNED BOAT ACCESS ON NORTH END. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 77.33 | 58 | 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.
Yankton Lake is a 387-acre lake located in the City of Balaton in Lyon County. Yankton Lake has a maximum depth of 8.0 feet, and a watershed-to-lake ratio of 3 to 1. Despite having a small watershed and being the start of the West Fork of the Des Moines Watershed, Yankton Lake's water quality has typically been poor with Secchi depth's less than 1.0 ft., heavy algae blooms, and turbid water throughout much of the year. Water clarity improved in 2022 as the Secchi depth was 1.8 ft. during the survey, and clearer water was observed throughout much of the year, resulting in aquatic vegetation being present throughout much of the lake. Yankton Lake suffered a substantial partial winterkill during the winter of 2018-2019, as several species of dead fish were observed in the aeration hole and after ice out. It should be noted and known that the winter aeration system was in operation and running during the process of winterkill. While the number of species in the lake was not affected, the kill reduced the relative abundances of most species of fish. Yankton Lake is managed primarily for Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike, Crappie, and Yellow Perch. Yankton Lake has been stocked with Lower Mississippi Strain (LMS) Walleye fry since 2017 to get this strain established in additional waterbodies. LMS Walleye are present in Murray County's Lake Sarah, a lake that hasn't been stocked since 1991 because the Walleye population is sustained at high abundance through natural reproduction. Yankton Lake was stocked with LMS Walleye because it has traditionally supported a good Walleye population and has historically had sporadic natural reproduction and thus likely has habitat for spawning walleye providing environmental conditions are conducive to natural reproduction. A natural reproduction check was conducted on October 10, 2025, to determine if natural reproduction occurred in Yankton Lake. Young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleye were captured at a rate of 77.3 per hour, which indicates that natural reproduction occurred in Yankton Lake in 2025. Analysis of fall electrofishing data by DNR staff indicated that a catch rate greater than 5 per hour can result in a successful year class and greater than 25 per hour often produces a year class. Therefore, potential exists for a strong year class from the 2025 natural reproduction in Yankton Lake. Walleye fingerlings ranged from 6.1 to 9.1 inches in length and averaged 7.1 inches. With Walleye reaching a size greater than 5 inches by fall of their first year, survival should be very good. Future monitoring of the Walleye…
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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