Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 2, 1991
Stocking at Mcdonald Lake
No stocking record for Mcdonald 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 2, 1991 caught 25.00 walleye per gill net at Mcdonald Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcdonald Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1991-07-02 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1991-07-02 (Standard Survey)
35 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 55.00 | 0.7 lb | |
| Bluegill | 29.70 | 0.26 lb | |
| Walleye | 13.00 | 2.27 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 1.10 | 8.82 lb | |
| Largemouth Bass | 1.00 | 1.5 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.
From the 1991-07-02 survey
CATCH RATES FOR WAE, BLG, LMB, AND BLB WERE ABOVE LOCAL AND STATE-WIDE VALUES. CATCH RATES FOR NOP WERE BELOW LOCAL AND STATE-WIDE MEDIAN VALUES.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mcdonald Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CloverdaleFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Mcdonald Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 2, 1991 caught 25.00 walleye per gill net at Mcdonald Lake. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Mcdonald Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Mcdonald Lake is dated July 2, 1991. 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 Mcdonald Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Mcdonald 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 Mcdonald Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcdonald Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 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 Mcdonald Lake
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