Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest June 23, 2025
Species recorded at Kansas Lake
14 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 Kansas 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.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Kansas 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 June 23, 2025 caught 15.67 walleye per gill net at Kansas Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kansas Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
16 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-06-23 (Standard Survey).
16 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-23 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 40.20 | 7–26 in 2025-06-23 | 1.15 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 31.53 | 5–10 in 2025-06-23 | 0.27 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 28.40 | 8–14 in 2025-06-23 | 0.53 lb |
| Common Carp | 12.62 | 12–28 in 2025-06-23 | 3.03 lb |
| Freshwater Drum | 9.37 | 10–18 in 2025-06-23 | 0.87 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
Yellow Perch
Black Bullhead
Common Carp
From the 2025-06-23 survey
Kansas Lake is a 398-acre lake, located in Watonwan County, approximately 5 miles southwest of the City of St. James. Kansas Lake has a mean depth of 5.0 ft. and a maximum depth of 7.0 ft. The watershed of Kansas Lake is quite large (30:1 Watershed to lake ratio) and dominated by row crop agriculture with many miles…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Kansas Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — KansasFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — KansasFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — KansasPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Kansas Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 23, 2025 caught 15.67 walleye per gill net at Kansas Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–26 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 14 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 Kansas Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Kansas Lake is dated June 23, 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 Kansas Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Kansas 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 Kansas Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kansas Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 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 Kansas Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Kansas Lake
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