Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest May 1, 2023
Species recorded at Ripley 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 Ripley Lake
No stocking record for Ripley 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.
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 Targeted Survey on July 19, 2021 caught 4.67 walleye per gill net at Ripley Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ripley 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
15 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-05-01 (Targeted Survey).
15 surveys on file · most recent 2023-05-01 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 38.31 | 8–14 in 2021-07-19 | 0.56 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 29.00 | 5–8 in 2021-07-19 | 0.09 lb |
| Bluegill | 21.03 | 2–9 in 2023-05-01 | 0.21 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 12.12 | 7–21 in 2022-05-04 | 1.54 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 6.97 | 5–14 in 2021-07-19 | 0.64 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.
Black Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
From the 2023-05-01 survey
Ripley is a medium sized lake (614 acres) located next to the City of Litchfield in Meeker County. Ripley has four miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 18 feet. A city owned public access, with a cement boat ramp, and a large amount of parking is present on the east shore. A county owned public access, with a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ripley Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Ripley (west portion)Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Ripley (west portion)Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Ripley Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 19, 2021 caught 4.67 walleye per gill net at Ripley 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 Ripley Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Ripley Lake is dated May 1, 2023. 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 Ripley Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Ripley 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 Ripley Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ripley 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 Ripley Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Ripley Lake
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