Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest June 24, 2025
Species recorded at Hill River Lake
13 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 Hill River Lake
No stocking record for Hill River 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 Hill River Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 24, 2025 caught 0.56 walleye per trap net at Hill River Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hill River 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
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-06-24 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-24 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 22.23 | 4–11 in 2025-06-24 | 0.39 lb |
| Bluegill | 16.34 | 3–9 in 2025-06-24 | 0.28 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 8.52 | 5–9 in 2025-06-24 | 0.18 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 7.74 | 9–12 in 2025-06-24 | 0.57 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.94 | 4–10 in 2025-06-24 | 0.26 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
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Brown Bullhead
From the 2025-06-24 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Hill River Lake was conducted on June 24th-25th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Hill River Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Hill RiverFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Hill River (1956)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Hill RiverPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Hill River Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 24, 2025 caught 0.56 walleye per trap net at Hill River Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 13 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 Hill River Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Hill River Lake is dated June 24, 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 Hill River Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Hill River 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 Hill River Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hill River 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 Hill River Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Hill River Lake
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