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The bow of a canoe on flat evening water, a spruce and birch shoreline ahead, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Updated August 2026

Wells Lake Fishing

Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 27, 2020 caught 11.44 walleye per gill net at Wells Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–27 inches. In Rice County, Minnesota, Wells Lake has nutrient and algae readings on record from state and federal monitoring. Water clarity averages 2.0 feet of visibility, and the lake has public access. The survey figures on this page are Minnesota DNR's own; the water-quality readings come from EPA Water Quality Portal samples. Neither is a forecast of today's bite.

Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 27, 2020

Species recorded at Wells Lake

15 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 Wells 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

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 27, 2020 caught 11.44 walleye per gill net at Wells Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–27 inches.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wells 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

7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2020-07-27 (Targeted Survey).

7 surveys on file · most recent 2020-07-27 (Targeted Survey)

SpeciesCatch rate (CPUE)SizeAvg weight
Yellow Perch
12.85
2–11 in
2020-07-27
0.3 lb
Black Bullhead
12.13
4–15 in
2020-07-27
0.71 lb
White Bass
10.09
4–16 in
2020-07-27
0.72 lb
Common Carp
9.24
4–33 in
2020-07-27
4.66 lb
Walleye
6.68
13–27 in
2020-07-27
1.25 lb
Freshwater Drum
4.77
4–21 in
2020-07-27
0.83 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.

Yellow Perch

142 fish · 2–11 in · 2020-07-27
86430trophy 12″234567891011

Black Bullhead

980 fish · 4–15 in · 2020-07-27
5732870456789101112131415

White Bass

204 fish · 4–16 in · 2020-07-27
15477045678910111213141516

Common Carp

61 fish · 4–33 in · 2020-07-27
1470468101214161820222426283032

From the 2020-07-27 survey

Wells Lake is a 634-acre lake located in Rice County west of the city of Faribault. The lake is accessible by boat from Cannon Lake. Wells Lake is a very shallow, eutrophic lake with a maximum depth of 4 feet. Wells Lake is managed primarily for Walleye. Although no stocking takes place, Walleye and other game fish…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Wells Lake. 2 reports on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Common questions

What fish are in Wells Lake?

Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 27, 2020 caught 11.44 walleye per gill net at Wells Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–27 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 15 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 Wells Lake last surveyed?

The most recent fisheries survey on file for Wells Lake is dated July 27, 2020. 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 Wells Lake stocked?

Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Wells 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 Wells Lake fishes?

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wells 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 Wells Lake

Top-rated places to stay near Wells Lake

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