Minnesota · Meeker County

Dunns Lake Fishing guide

Dunns Lake covers 152 acres in Meeker County, Minnesota, reaching 20 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 1.7 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 16 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 20 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface152 ac

Max depth20 ft

Mean12 ft

Clarity1.7 ft

Littoral56%

Surveyed2024

How to fish Dunns Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. In 1.7 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
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. In 1.7 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
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
2024	23"	18"	32"
2018	24"	20"	32"
2008	11"	18"	31"
2003	—	18"	39"
1999	—	15"	32"
1993	17"	8"	23"

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 · Live bait

Jig + Half Crawler

half nightcrawler

5–25 ftslow

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Walleye · Trolling

Planer Board Spread

4–6" crankbait or a 5–6 ft crawler harness run out to the side on an in-line planer board

5–30 fttrolling

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Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

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Largemouth bass · Jigs & bladed

Skirted Casting Jig + Craw Trailer

3.5–4" craw-style trailer on a skirted casting/flipping jig

3–20 ftdead slowweedless

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Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

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Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Spinnerbait

3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades

1–12 ftmoderate

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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	43,126 fry
2022	Walleye	43,593 fry
2018	Walleye	977 yearlings
2016	Walleye	1,627 yearlings

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2024 survey

Dunns is a small-sized lake (151 acres) located north of the city of Darwin in Meeker County. A state-owned access with gravel parking and a single cement boat ramp is located on the north shore. Dunns has approximately two miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of twenty feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Dunns is a class 30 lake and other similar waterbodies in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area are Little Mud and Little Swan Lakes in Meeker County.

Good numbers of Black Crappie and Bluegill were sampled The average Black Crappie was 8.6 inches in length, and approximately 36% of the catch was 9 inches or longer. The longest Black Crappie sampled was 14.1 inches. Bluegill average size was small (5.3 inches), and the longest Bluegill sampled was 8.2 inches. Approximately 19% of the trap net catch was 7 inches or longer, but only 1% of the catch exceeded 8 inches in length. Anglers should find plenty of panfish biting at Dunns but may need to sort through some small ones to get a meal of keepers. Anglers seeking memorable-sized crappie could have some luck at this lake.

Read the full DNR narrative

People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Overharvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are typically moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters and lakeshore owners, and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all lake water from their boat and bait buckets before leaving the lake. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local MNDNR office. Additional information on all these topics can be found on the MNDNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Hutchinson Area Fisheries office.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Dunns Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Dunns 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.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Meeker County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Dunns Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Dunns Lake depth map

Dunns Lake depth contour map, Meeker County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 20 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Richardson Lake · 119 ac · 0.5 mi
Arvilla Lake · 138 ac · 5.9 mi
Stella Lake · 599 ac · 6 mi
Round Lake · 266 ac · 6.3 mi
Ripley (west portion) Lake · 614 ac · 6.3 mi
Washington Lake · 2,438 ac · 6.4 mi
Manuella Lake · 293 ac · 6.8 mi
Little Swan Lake · 52 ac · 6.9 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Dunns Lake?

Dunns Lake reaches 20 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 12 ft; about 56% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Dunns Lake?

Dunns Lake covers 152 acres with about 2.3 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Dunns Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Dunns Lake average 1.7 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Dunns Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2024) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.

Is Dunns Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2024; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.

Does Dunns Lake have a public access?

Yes. Dunns Lake has one public access site: Dunns Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Dunns Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 23"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.

When was Dunns Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Dunns Lake in 2024, the most recent of 16 surveys on record.

Page updated October 28, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Dunns Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Dunns Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report