DNR lake finder

[mrklean]

Is there a way to search on the lake finder by date of survey? I dont like looking at 20 year old surveys when trying to find new lakes wasnt sure if you could search by more recent surveys.

[reinhard1]

i think if you are looking at a lake and the last year it was surveyed, it is what it is. i have looked at lakes also with old surveys and the reason they dont survey them anymore it's because they are not worth managing. good luck.

[chris63]

You can email the DNR and ask them how and when they update new lake surveys.c63

[Scott M]

Email the local office or local area manager for surveys.

DNR Fisheries Offices

Surveys on lakes that are 20 plus years old doesn't mean the lakes weren't surveyed, they just may not always show up on Lake Finder or the lakes may not be part of a regular rotation any more. Grand Rapids for example, has something like 1,000 lakes in Itasca county with a staff of nine people plus demands on their time beyond lake survey...stream survey, aquatic plant management permitting, environmental review, stocking, report writings, meetings, just to name a few...plus the field season is what, 3-5 months?

I think anglers are going to have to change their expectations for services delivered by MN DNR Fisheries as the Game and Fish Fund heads towards the red and nothing is done with license fee increases. Lake surveys that you are used to seeing renewed on Lake Finder every 4-6 years might have to be dropped or spread out to 10-15 years. Maybe only lakes with special regulations or stocking are surveyed. That puts a lot of anglers in the dark about the present (or close to present) state of the fish community. But on the flip side, that's not unlike any of the other 49 states.

[mrklean]

Not really what I was asking what I mean is can you search by a survey date instead of lake names so I could find all lakes surveyed in the past 3 years instead of county or name.

[Scott M]

Not without internal access to the DNR database

[reinhard1]

i would go with the most recent survey date. some lakes haven't been survey'd for 4 or 5 years, but if some lake hasn't been survey'd for 20 years it's not because of budget restraint's. if the Lake finder doesn't satisfy you call the DNR. sometimes they have a survey but it is not yet posted until it is completed. they do post the most recent surveys. good luck.

[chris63]

There is additional info on SOME lakes but you have to read the survey and log into the specific address given.c63

[mrklean]

Thats kinda what i figured oh well

[popriveter]

I get you Mrklean. I've found myself wishing for that search option too

[reinhard1]

i know we all live in the internet world and you can get just about anything as far as information from it. however i have found when you want up to date information on a lake or river it's a good idea to call the area fisheries office. i call one of the northern offices a few times a year. very friendly people and often give a lot more detailed information than you find on the Lake Finder. good luck.

[Korynta]

If you look at the #s before you click the pdf, if there is multiple surveys, I think the second # from the right indicates newer surveys. 0 being old 1 being newer etc..

[Scott M]

Korynta, can you link these pdfs please, am wondering what you're referring to?

[Korynta]

Korynta, can you link these pdfs please, am wondering what you're referring to?

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showmap.html?mapid=B0423

I guess it was the last number of the file. the larger the # the newer the map. If you scroll down youll see the explanation.

[Scott M]

Okay, I see what you mean. You're talking about contour maps. I believe mrklean is looking for date of survey under lake information...as in when the nets were last set and fish community evaluated. There is no sortable feature for date of survey, the database is only searchable by newest full survey or fish population assessment by lake and county.