Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest October 15, 2025
Species recorded at Great Northern Lake
21 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 Great Northern Lake
No stocking record for Great Northern 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 July 29, 2024 caught 4.50 walleye per gill net at Great Northern Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–27 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Great Northern 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
19 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-10-15 (Targeted Survey).
19 surveys on file · most recent 2025-10-15 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 53.70 | 11–27 in 2025-10-15 | 1.52 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 46.90 | ||
| Black Crappie | 34.74 | 4–10 in 2024-07-29 | 0.32 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 19.36 | ||
| Channel Catfish | 19.26 | 17–22 in 2024-07-29 | 1.84 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 15.02 | 4–16 in 2024-07-29 | 0.63 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.
Walleye
Black Crappie
Channel Catfish
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-10-15 survey
The Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL) is located in south-central Stearns County near the city of Cold Spring. A dam on the Sauk River built in the early 1900s created the SRCL and provides access to over 3,200 acres of connected water, including Bolfing, Great Northern, Knaus, Krays, Schneider, Zumwalde, Cedar Island,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Great Northern Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Great NorthernFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Great Northern Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 4.50 walleye per gill net at Great Northern Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–27 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 21 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 Great Northern Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Great Northern Lake is dated October 15, 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 Great Northern Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Great Northern 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 Great Northern Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Great Northern 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 Great Northern Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Great Northern Lake
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