Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 27, 2015
Species recorded at Mcdonough Lake
4 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 Mcdonough Lake
No stocking record for Mcdonough 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 27, 2015 caught 2.50 bluegill per trap net at Mcdonough Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–8 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcdonough 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
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 2.50 | 3–8 in 2015-07-27 | 0.1 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.75 | 2–4 in 2015-07-27 | 0.04 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 1.75 | 7–9 in 2015-07-27 | 0.32 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 0.25 | 6 in 2015-07-27 | 0.19 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
Pumpkinseed
Black Bullhead
Green Sunfish
From the 2015-07-27 survey
McDonough Lake is a shallow marshy 15-acre lake located in the City of Eagan. The lake has a walking trail and fishing pier and is located entirely within the bounds of the Lebanon Hills Park, which is managed by Dakota County Parks and Recreation Department. McDonough Lake has been managed by the Fishing in the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mcdonough Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — McDonoughFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Mcdonough Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 2.50 bluegill per trap net at Mcdonough Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–8 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 4 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 Mcdonough Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Mcdonough Lake is dated July 27, 2015. 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 Mcdonough Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Mcdonough 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 Mcdonough Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcdonough 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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