Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 6, 1988
Stocking at Shoal Lake
No stocking record for Shoal 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 6, 1988 caught 102.50 yellow perch per gill net at Shoal Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Shoal Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. 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: 1988-07-06 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1988-07-06 (Standard Survey)
38 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 54.13 | 0.36 lb | |
| Brown Bullhead | 40.19 | 0.16 lb | |
| Golden Shiner | 15.13 | 0.11 lb | |
| Black Bullhead | 6.00 | 0.16 lb | |
| White Sucker | 4.06 | 1.17 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 1988-07-06 survey
THE YELLOW PERCH IS THE MOST ABUNDANT GAME FISH SPECIES IN THIS LAKE AND ARE OF ACCEPTABLE SIZE FOR MOST ANGLERS. THE LARGE SIZE OF CAPTURED PERCH INDICATE THE LAKE HASN'T HAD A SEVERE WINTERKILL IN THE PAST 3 TO 4 YEARS. BULLHEADS AND WHITE SUCKERS ARE ALSO PRESENT IN FAIR ABUNDANCE. FATHEADS, GOLDEN SHINERS,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Shoal Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ShoalFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Shoal Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 1988 caught 102.50 yellow perch per gill net at Shoal Lake. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Shoal Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Shoal Lake is dated July 6, 1988. 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 Shoal Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Shoal 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 Shoal Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Shoal Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. 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 Shoal Lake
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