Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 14, 2025
Species recorded at Colby Lake
15 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 Colby Lake
No stocking record for Colby 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.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Colby Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Colby Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Colby Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
12 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-14 (Standard Survey).
12 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-14 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 5.23 | 3–7 in 2025-07-14 | 0.23 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 4.54 | 5–8 in 2025-07-14 | 0.15 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.25 | 1–9 in 2025-07-14 | 0.26 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.59 | 12–34 in 2025-07-14 | 2.34 lb |
| Channel Catfish | 1.54 | 14–27 in 2025-07-14 | 3.04 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.
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
Northern Pike
From the 2025-07-14 survey
Colby is a 518-acre lake located immediately north of Hoyt Lakes. It is comparable to North and South Twin by Aurora, and Bailey's in downtown Virginia. The Partridge River runs through the lake and connects to the upper St. Louis River shortly downstream. This river connection makes Colby's fish community an outlier…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Colby Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ColbyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Colby (1878)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ColbyPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Colby Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Colby Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 15 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 Colby Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Colby Lake is dated July 14, 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 Colby Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Colby 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 Colby Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Colby Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. 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 Colby Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Colby Lake
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