Minnesota · Hubbard County
Duck Lake Fishing guide
Duck Lake covers 326 acres in Hubbard County, Minnesota, reaching 23 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 8.3 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 12 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2024Excellent numbers8.8per gill net14"Typical22"Biggest
Lengths measured · 97 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 97 fish
2025Lengths measured · 175 fish
2019Lengths measured · 197 fish
2012Lengths measured · 136 fish
2006Largemouth bassGood numbers96per hr (electrofishing)10"Typical17"Biggest
Lengths measured · 149 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 149 fish
2025Lengths measured · 207 fish
2019Lengths measured · 202 fish
2012Lengths measured · 83 fish
2006No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeFair numbers6per gill net20"Typical37"Biggest
Lengths measured · 58 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 58 fish
2025Lengths measured · 10 fish
2019Lengths measured · 15 fish
2012Lengths measured · 2 fish
2006Only 2 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
BluegillFair numbers31.2per trap net6"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 299 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 299 fish
2025Lengths measured · 95 fish
2019Lengths measured · 236 fish
2012Lengths measured · 813 fish
2006CrappieJust a few1.8per trap net8"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 31 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 31 fish
2025Lengths measured · 48 fish
2019Lengths measured · 28 fish
2012Lengths measured · 19 fish
2006Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Duck Lake through the year
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Walleye | Largemouth bass | Northern pike |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22" | 17" | 37" |
| 2019 | 24" | 17" | 38" |
| 2012 | 28" | 19" | 34" |
| 2006 | 25" | 18" | 31" |
| 2000 | 28" | 17" | 37" |
| 1995 | 28" | 17" | 35" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Walleye · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DNR stocking records
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Stocked |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | 790 fingerlings · 298 yearlings |
| 2022 | Walleye | 3,046 fingerlings |
| 2020 | Walleye | 380 yearlings |
| 2018 | Walleye | 150,640 fry · 3,417 fingerlings |
| 2016 | Walleye | 151,225 fry · 6,612 fingerlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2025 survey
Duck Lake (DOW # 29-0142-00) is located ten miles southeast of Park Rapids, on the border of Hubbard County. Duck Lake has a surface area of 326 acres and a maximum depth of 23 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the southwest shore of the lake off Duck Lake Road. Duck Lake has good water quality and lots of sand shoreline. Duck Lake provides fishing opportunities for Walleye, Largemouth Bass, and panfish.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Duck Lake is in Lake Class 31. Lake Class 31 lakes generally have hard water and have regularly shaped shorelines. Other Lake Class 31 lakes in the Park Rapids area include: Second, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Crow Wing, Boulder, Evergreen, Hattie, Hinds, Lower Twin, Shingobee and Tripp Lakes.
Read the full DNR narrative
Walleye abundance has remained high for the past several surveys. Over half of the Walleyes sampled were in the 13-to-15-inch size range, with fish sampled up to 22.1 inches. Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye, were sampled in low numbers and have been very low since 2006.
Anglers will find an abundant Largemouth Bass population with high numbers of bass in the 10-14-inch size range and few fish over 15 inches. Present and past surveys have shown that the panfish population in Duck fluctuates from moderate to high numbers. Anglers can expect to find most Bluegills in the 6-8-inch size range with very few fish over 8 inches. Black Crappie numbers have remained stable in Duck Lake, but few fish over 10 inches were sampled.
Currently faucet snails, an aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Duck Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Duck Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Duck Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Duck Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Duck Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Palmer Lake · 146 ac · 1.5 mi
- Second Crow Wing Lake · 221 ac · 2.7 mi
- First Crow Wing Lake · 522 ac · 3.5 mi
- Third Crow Wing Lake · 643 ac · 4.4 mi
- Big Stony Lake · 343 ac · 4.8 mi
- Fourth Crow Wing Lake · 434 ac · 5 mi
- Upper Twin Lake · 213 ac · 5.7 mi
- Island Lake · 225 ac · 6.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Duck Lake?
Duck Lake reaches 23 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 14 ft; about 46% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Duck Lake?
Duck Lake covers 326 acres with about 2.9 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Duck Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Duck Lake average 8.3 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Duck Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Duck Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2024; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.
Does Duck Lake have a public access?
Yes. Duck Lake has one public access site: Duck Lake (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Duck Lake?
The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 22"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1995.
When was Duck Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Duck Lake in 2025, the most recent of 12 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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