Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest June 2, 2025
Species recorded at Smith Lake
13 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 Smith Lake
No stocking record for Smith 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 Targeted Survey on August 2, 2022 caught 32.40 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Smith Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Smith Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-06-02 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-02 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 62.78 | ||
| Golden Shiner | 33.21 | 4–5 in 1997-08-11 | 0.08 lb |
| Bluegill | 21.71 | 2–8 in 2022-08-01 | 0.16 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.
Golden Shiner
Bluegill
From the 2025-06-02 survey
Minnesota DNR Fisheries Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment program staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Smith Lake on September 3rd 2025, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 55 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake. Assessments were made…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Smith Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SmithFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Smith (0133)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Smith Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 2, 2022 caught 32.40 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Smith Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 13 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 Smith Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Smith Lake is dated June 2, 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 Smith Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Smith 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 Smith Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Smith Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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 Smith Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Smith Lake
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