West Metro Area Fisheries Office

Notices:

Proposal To Drop Stocking on 5 Hybrid Muskie Lakes; Comment Period Open Until June 3

The MN DNR West Metro Fisheris office will hold a a meeting (open-house format) to discuss and take comments on proposals to suspend hybrid (tiger) muskellunge stocking five lakes in Carver and Hennepin Counites.  The meeting will take place Thursday, May 2, from 6:30-8 pm at our office in Shakopee (adress listed above).  The lakes are:  Eagle, Piersons (Pierson), and Wasserman in Carver County; and Bush and Weaver in Hennepin County.

The proposal stems from a 2006 evaluation to see if stocking was meeting program goals.  Lack of habitat, forage, and other factors caused some lakes to lack viable populations of hybrid muskies.  Management of tiger muskie continues in four lakes, and one lake (Lake of the Isles) was was switched to pure-strain management. If you cannot attend the meeting, you may make written comments during the comment period (now until 4:30 pm June 3) to Area Supervisor Daryl Ellison (information above).  For details about the proposal and meeting, see the News Release.

2012-13 Low Oxygen ("Winterkill") Evidence From Shallow Lakes, Bays, Ponds, and Streams

Staff checking lake oxygen levels in mid-March 2013 found some low readings in several shallow, fertile lakes. They were-- Carver County: Swede; Hennepin County: Duck, Snelling, and Staring (Starring). Post-ice-out corroborating evidence has come in the form of fish carcass sightings from Hennepin County stormwater ponds, Minnehaha Creek, and a bay of Fish Lake- Scott County (April 29-30 reports).

Such conditions, brought on by persistent ice cover during the 2012-13 winter, could induce fish mortality in these waters, as well as in other lakes, bays, or stream sections lacking depth and conditions allowing re-oxygenation.  There will likely be winterkill evidence where it has occurred before.

For more information on the winterkill phenomenon, check our Winterkills page.

Courthouse & Christmas Lakes Trout Stockings Planned For 2013 Open-Water Season

For the 2013 open-water trout season in local lakes (May 11-October 31), Courthouse Lake (Chaska) is scheduled to receive its yearling rainbow trout quota of 3,000 fish and Christmas Lake (Greenwood-Shorewood) is slated for its 1,000-fish yearling rainbow trout quota.  Fish remaining from previous stockings in these two lakes, as well as in Little Long Lake (Minnetrista), will also be be available once the season opens.  Numbers will be updated once stockings are confirmed and/or season opens.

See our Local Trout Fishing Page for more details on our trout-fishing management. Note: those fishing Christmas Lake could face limited parking spots, craft inspections, and/or overnight access closure. Contact City of Shorewood for details/answers about Christmas Lake access operations.

Abundant Leftover 2011 Walleye Production Provided Majority of 2012 Lake Stockings

Most lakes scheduled for walleye fingerlings in fall 2012 were stocked in spring because of a productive DNR Fisheries 2011 harvest and a mild 2011-12 winter, which allowed fish to survive to yearling stage.

Lakes stocked by DNR Fisheries with walleye yearlings in spring 2012, by county: Hennepin-- Bryant, Calhoun, Harriet, Hyland, Mitchell; Scott-- O'Dowd.

Other 2012 Area walleye stockings (size/year class/source in parentheses):  Carver-- Eagle (fry), Parley (fry), Pierson (private-purchase fry and fingerlings), Waconia (fry); Hennepin-- Cook (private-purchase fingerlings), Minnetonka (private-contract fingerlings), Mooney (private-purchase yearlings); Scott-- Carls [McMahon] (private-purchase yearlings), Cedar (fry).

Lake Minnetonka Muskie Study-- Please Report Tagged and Fin-Clipped Fish

MN-DNR, Muskies, Inc. Twin Cities Chapter, and Hugh C. Becker Foundation began a project on Lake Minnetonka to evaluate muskellunge (muskie) stocking effectiveness. Since 2009, muskie have been stocked with an individually numbered yellow tag near the dorsal fin. If you catch a tagged muskie that you plan to release, please leave the tag in the fish but record the 6-digit tag number, date caught, lake name, fish species, and fish length via the internet tag-report form or to our office's phone, email, or address (above).  Fall 2012 update:  1,200 fingerlings and 215 yearlings were stocked in November.   Muskie Study Details

West Metro Fisheries Office Now In Shakopee

Our office is in the Blue Lake Business Center on Scott Co. Hwy. 101 (between US Hwy 169 and Valleyfair amusement park). We share space with two other MN DNR disciplines (Parks & Trails, Wildlife) and Conservation Corps Minnesota-Iowa . No license or registration services are available.  If you plan to visit in person, we recommend you contact us beforehand to ensure staff are available. Because we're a small field-oriented office with a part-time receptionist, drop-in visitors could find their contact person gone or a locked building.