Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest April 14, 2025
Species recorded at Mille Lacs Lake
21 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 Mille Lacs 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
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 April 14, 2025 caught 9.73 walleye per gill net at Mille Lacs Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mille Lacs 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
37 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-04-14 (Standard Survey).
37 surveys on file · most recent 2025-04-14 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 215.51 | 2–13 in 2025-04-14 | 0.22 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 70.94 | 2–5 in 2025-04-14 | 0.02 lb |
| Walleye | 68.29 | 3–28 in 2025-04-14 | 1.24 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 17.53 | 3–17 in 2025-04-14 | 0.6 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 17.32 | 1–22 in 2025-04-14 | 1.76 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 13.01 | 3 in 2025-04-14 | 0.01 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.
Yellow Perch
Spottail Shiner
Walleye
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2025-04-14 survey
Sampling Programs Mille Lacs Lake is one of ten lakes in Minnesota's Large Lake Program. These lakes have annual sampling of the fish populations, and frequent creel surveys. Specific to Mille Lacs Lake, sampling programs focusing on Walleye, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth Bass, and Northern Pike are conducted annually.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mille Lacs Lake. 5 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Mille LacsFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Mille Lacs (0134)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Mille Lacs (0337)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Mille LacsFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Mille LacsPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Mille Lacs Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on April 14, 2025 caught 9.73 walleye per gill net at Mille Lacs Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 21 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 Mille Lacs Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Mille Lacs Lake is dated April 14, 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 Mille Lacs Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Mille Lacs Lake
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