Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 24, 2023
Stocking at Davis Lake
No stocking record for Davis 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 Standard Survey on July 22, 1999 caught 1.50 northern pike per gill net at Davis Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–31 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Davis Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-08-24 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2023-08-24 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 2.42 | 9–19 in 1999-07-22 | 1.58 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.25 | 19–31 in 1999-07-22 | 2.9 lb |
| Lake Trout | 0.33 | 12–18 in 1999-07-22 | 1.39 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.
White Sucker
Northern Pike
Lake Trout
From the 2023-08-24 survey
A temperature-dissolved oxygen profile was collected in the deepest basin on Davis Lake on August 24th, 2023 to evaluate the amount of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Trout. Based on the profile, the top of the thermocline (i.e., the location in the water column with the sharpest…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Davis Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — DavisFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Davis Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 22, 1999 caught 1.50 northern pike per gill net at Davis Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–31 inches. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Davis Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Davis Lake is dated August 24, 2023. 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 Davis Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Davis 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 Davis Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Davis 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.
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