Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 22, 2022
Species recorded at Horseshoe Lake
12 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 Horseshoe Lake
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for this lake — which species went in, how many, and in which years. Read the years: a lake stocked in one year is not necessarily stocked in the next.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 22, 2022 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Horseshoe Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Horseshoe 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
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-08-22 (Standard Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2022-08-22 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 11.85 | 3–9 in 2022-08-22 | 0.21 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 10.50 | 6 in 2009-08-24 | 0.08 lb |
| Black Crappie | 10.49 | 4–11 in 2022-08-22 | 0.23 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 9.70 | 5–7 in 2022-08-22 | 0.1 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.15 | 7–14 in 2022-08-22 | 0.85 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
Golden Shiner
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
From the 2022-08-22 survey
Horseshoe Lake is a 237-acre lake located in northeastern Aitkin County approximately 9 miles northeast of McGregor. The lake is shallow with a maximum depth of only 12 ft. and summer algal blooms are relatively common. The water is a tannin stained dark brown in color, limiting the secchi disk reading to only 1.5 ft.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Horseshoe Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HorseshoeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Horseshoe (0138)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HorseshoeFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Horseshoe Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 22, 2022 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Horseshoe Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 12 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 Horseshoe Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Horseshoe Lake is dated August 22, 2022. 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 Horseshoe Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Horseshoe Lake. It records which species were released, in what numbers and in which years — the source documents are linked further down this page. A lake can be stocked in some years and not others, so read the years rather than assuming an annual release.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Horseshoe Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Horseshoe 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.
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