Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest June 16, 2025
Species recorded at Bright Lake
20 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Bright Lake
No stocking record for Bright Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 16, 2025 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Bright Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bright Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-06-16 (Targeted Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-16 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 89.27 | 3–12 in 2025-06-16 | 0.16 lb |
| Fathead Minnow | 26.21 | ||
| White Crappie | 16.11 | 3–14 in 2025-06-16 | 0.36 lb |
| Common Carp | 9.61 | 13–32 in 2025-06-16 | 3.1 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 5.49 | 4–6 in 2025-06-16 | 0.12 lb |
| Bigmouth Buffalo | 4.78 | 18–26 in 2025-06-16 | 3.67 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Black Bullhead
White Crappie
Common Carp
Green Sunfish
From the 2025-06-16 survey
Bright Lake, a 645-acre basin located 2.5 miles northeast of Ceylon in Martin County, is a shallow system characterized by a maximum depth of 6.0 feet and a 4.4-mile shoreline lined with thick cattails and some bulrush. This emergent vegetation provides important habitat for a fish community that must endure the…
Common questions
What fish are in Bright Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 16, 2025 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Bright Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 20 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Bright Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Bright Lake is dated June 16, 2025. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Bright Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Bright Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Bright Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bright Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Bright Lake
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