Private Lake Stocking

[TopwaterTom21]

Call me ignorant, but I truly lack ANY sort of knowledge in regards to stocking private lakes. Any insight is appreciated.

My family owns a cabin on a smaller - 15ish acre - lake. It used to be connected via streams to a very large lake but beavers have darned that up so bad that it gets no flowing water. The lake does get about 20 feet deep and is spring fed. However, it is VERY murky and the bottom is muck. There used to be large pike and sunfish present but winterkill got to it many years over without proper management - even with said springs present. What I'm wondering is, is this lake suitable to be privately stocked? I would guess it is the type of lake to hold sunfish, maybe crappies, largemouth and pike. Is there a way to work on cleaning up the lake? Would it be best to seek help from the DNR? Any and all advice on whether it is worth trying to stock this or not helps!

Thanks

[delcecchi]

You will probably have to at least talk to DNR since, from your description, it sounds like it is actually a state lake. So it is under their jurisdiction.

I found this that might be useful...

http://dnr.state.mn.us/permits/fishery/index.html

[laker1]

The water is still public and you would need permission from the DNR and they could be helpful in ideas and a list of private hatcheries etc. that maybe you could get fish of if the DNR can stock it?

Other option maybe with DNR permit beaver dams could be open,thereby getting flow again.

[mrklean]

Blow that beaver dam up

[JBMasterAngler]

Getting rid of the beavers and their dam would be the best option.

[Ufatz]

Don't do a THING until you talk to DNR and your local County land managers. If you go off half-cocked with some ding-dong internet advice you not only could but you probably WILL end up in court.

Private stocking and watershed manipulation is frowned on by almost every fish and game agency I've ever dealt with.

Be smart.

You look pretty intelligent from where I'm sitting.

[Tom7227]

A friend did this on a small lake that was totally isolated from any inputs from another place. The lake was on a large piece of hunting land that was only visited a half dozen times a year because of the distance. I believe he contacted the DNR and after a considerable period of time they came out and did a net survey, coming up with a lot of bullheads and a few perch. I believe that the DNR required him to pay a nominal amount for the game fish population.

He went ahead and stocked bass and sunfish. The population boomed a he then learned that he had to control the population because of the limits on the carrying capacity of the lake. X amount of fish need Y amount of food. The early years there wasn't a problem. But my friend was told that he had to catch and keep an incredible number of bass in order to control things. I don't recall the numbers but it was going to be impossible to keep the population in balance. I don't know what is going on now but I suspect that the result is not ideal.

[nofishfisherman]

I agree talk to the DNR before you do anything. If you didn't dig the lake yourself then I assume its under state jurisdiction and dnr approval will be needed for any changes.

For what its worth I wouldn't bother stocking anything in the lake until you get the winter kill situation resolved. No sense sinking money into stocking the lake if it has a history of winter kill. You'll just see your money floating after the next one.

If I had to guess after you talk to the dnr they may decide the best course of action is to remove the beaver dam and then let the lake restock itself with the new water access. I'd bet they'd be hesitant to then allow private stocking on a lake with water access to another lake.

[swamptiger]

If you want to put the effort into restoring the lake, you could work with the local DNR fisheries and wildlife management to remove the beaver dams and get the stream between the lakes flowing again, assuming there is enough water present to make it feasible. Our local lake association did this to restore the spawning habitat in a lake, and it has worked out well.

I know of another small local lake that is surrounded by private land and is landlocked due to the old stream-bed being filled in years ago with a township road (no culvert). This lake is similar to the one you describe, and I know it has been stocked numerous times and winterkilled, so it is an ongoing effort to keep it viable.

Mostly depends on how much effort you want to put into it, but the DNR will surely want some input if there is any water movement between the lakes at all.

[fishnowworknever]

Blow that beaver dam up

Voted #1 answer.

[BLACKJACK]

Trust me, I've been battling beavers at my place, if its a good spot they'll just rebuild the dam. And if you whack the beavers the next generation will be along to rebuild it.

[mrklean]

Then you should have a nice beaver skin hat and jacket

[leechlake]

sounds like a fun project. Call the DNR and they probably will help you avoid making mistakes that they have more experience than you do. They may shut you down also, either way it sounds fun but my Mother Nature theory tells me it will be a difficult task to be really successful at. If Ma wanted it to be a fishing lake it would be. Go get em!!!