Stoney Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota87 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Stoney Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 58 ft max depth
Stoney Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 86.76 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2018 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Stoney Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–28 inches. DNR survey details →
Stoney Lake is a 87-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Douglas County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 58 feet (10-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Douglas County, Stoney Lake ranks #22 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Stoney Lake covers about 87 acres in Douglas County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Stoney Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Stoney Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Deep water58 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Stoney Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Stoney Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Stoney Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 19 ft down. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.8 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Stoney Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2018 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Stoney Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–28 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Stoney 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
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2018-08-07 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2018-08-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 11.35 | 3–8 in 2018-08-07 | 0.14 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 11.06 | 6–13 in 2018-08-07 | 0.6 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 5.29 | 9–12 in 2008-08-04 | 0.82 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.64 | 17–28 in 2018-08-07 | 1.77 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.44 | 5–8 in 2018-08-07 | 0.2 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 2.99 | 12–13 in 2018-08-07 | 0.87 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
Yellow Bullhead
Black Bullhead
Northern Pike
From the 2018-08-07 survey
North Union, Stony, and Lottie (Taylor) lakes form a chain of lakes between Brophy and Cowdry lakes in Douglas County. Stony Lake is the middle lake within the chain of lakes. Stony Lake discharges to Lottie Lake. None of these three small basins have public access sites, but anglers can utilize access sites on Cowdry…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Stoney Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — StonyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
58 ft
Average depth
10 ft
Surface area
87 acres
Shoreline
2 mi
Littoral zone
67%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Stoney Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Stoney Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Stoney Lake
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Stoney Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Stoney Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.73 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.07 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Douglas County
Frequently asked questions about Stoney Lake
Where is Stoney Lake?
- Stoney Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Stoney Lake?
- Stoney Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 86.76 acres.
Is Stoney Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Stoney Lake?
- Stoney Lake has a maximum depth of 58 feet and an average depth of 10 feet. The lake covers 86.76 acres.
What fish are in Stoney Lake?
- Fish species found in Stoney Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead. Stoney Lake is located in Douglas County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Stoney Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2018 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Stoney Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–28 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Stoney 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.
Can I fish at Stoney Lake?
- Public access to Stoney Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Stoney Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
30 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA30 samples · 2021–2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder