Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Fish Lake

Wright County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
35ft Max
depth
95 acres 7 contours Public access
Paddling Index59Mixedsheltered geometry
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Fish Lake is mapped to a depth of 35 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 95 acres in Wright County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1961.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
35 ft
Survey year
1961
Surface area
95 acres
Shoreline
1.67 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Trailer Launch · Fish Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site
Additional depth details7 contours
Contour depths
0–35 ft
Recorded point soundings
35 ft
Compare with another lake
Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates
45.38290, -94.01626
MN DNR lake ID
86018300
Vertical exaggeration
2.49×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
59 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Fish Lake has a partly natural setting, generally sheltered geometry, substantial nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingGood17.3 of 3562% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (46% forest, 11% wetland; 28% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good23.8 of 29mean fetch 646 m · 6% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Motor & speed rulesNot modeled—Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public accessGood15.0 of 181 DNR public access site · boat ramp
Road isolationModest2.7 of 18substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 4 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 45,513 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity
Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation
Low — approximately 1% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity
Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential
Moderate — 46% forest and 11% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MN DNR Water Access Sites and Fishing Piers & Shore Fishing Sites (2026-09) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2022–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

17 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2014
346Fish sampled
17Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 45 · Largemouth Bass 25 · Bowfin 8 · Walleye 6

Panfish Bluegill 191 · Black Crappie 17 · Yellow Perch 5

All survey species17 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike45 caught · to 34″
Largemouth Bass25 caught · to 18″
Bowfin8 caught · to 22″
Walleye6 caught · to 26″
Channel Catfish5 caught · to 29″

Panfish

Bluegill191 caught · to 8″
Black Crappie17 caught · to 9″
Yellow Perch5 caught · to 6″
Pumpkinseed4 caught · to 5″
Hybrid Sunfish2 caught · to 7″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead3 caught · to 13″
Black Bullhead2 caught · to 10″
Brown Bullhead2 caught · to 13″

Forage & nongame

Bigmouth Buffalo12 caught · to 29″
Common Carp11 caught · to 24″
White Sucker6 caught · to 19″
Golden Redhorse2 caught · to 21″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

Infested waters listing

1 confirmed, 1 via connection

Mussels & snails

  • Zebra MusselListed in 2006 because this water is connected to Mississippi River. The species has not necessarily been found in this lake.

Plants & algae

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Fish Lake — common questions

How deep is Fish Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Fish Lake is 35 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Fish Lake?

Fish Lake covers about 95 acres in Wright County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Fish Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead, black crappie. The page lists all 17 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Fish Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Fish Lake: a boat ramp. It is administered by Clearwater Township. DNR directions: "3 miles southeast of Cleawater, off a Township Road, on the northeast shore of Fish Lake."