Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest April 22, 2025
Species recorded at Upper Tad Lake
10 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 Upper Tad 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.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on April 22, 2025 caught 0.50 walleye per trap net at Upper Tad Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Tad Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-04-22 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2025-04-22 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 67.55 | 2–13 in 2006-07-05 | 0.43 lb |
| Black Crappie | 61.72 | 2–11 in 2025-04-22 | 0.28 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 58.62 | 4–11 in 2025-04-22 | 0.22 lb |
| Bluegill | 18.68 | 2–7 in 2025-04-22 | 0.17 lb |
| Common Carp | 12.52 | 5–6 in 2014-09-09 | 2.97 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 11.99 | 4–9 in 2025-04-22 | 0.25 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.
Largemouth Bass
Black Crappie
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
From the 2025-04-22 survey
A targeted survey of Tadd & Upper was conducted with standard survey trapnets during late-April and single frame 1/2-inch mesh trapnets in mid-September of 2025. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Upper Tad Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — UnnamedFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — UnnamedFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Upper Tad Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on April 22, 2025 caught 0.50 walleye per trap net at Upper Tad Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 10 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 Upper Tad Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Upper Tad Lake is dated April 22, 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 Upper Tad Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Upper Tad 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 Upper Tad Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Tad Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. 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 Upper Tad Lake
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