Minnesota · Wright County

French Lake Fishing guide

French Lake is a 346-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota, reaching 50 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 3.5 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 50 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface346 ac

Max depth50 ft

Mean16.6 ft

Clarity3.5 ft

Littoral45%

Surveyed2025

How to fish French Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. In 3.5 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. On a lake that drops to 50 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. In 3.5 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
Early summer: Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
Summer: Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. On a lake that drops to 50 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.

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	Northern pike	Largemouth bass
2025	28"	34"	19"
2013	27"	32"	18"
2011	24"	36"	18"
2004	26"	35"	15"
1996	22"	28"	—

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

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Jigs & bladed

Tail Spinner

Compact lead body with a free-spinning blade on the tail

10–35 ftmoderate

Shop tail spinners →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

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

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Wacky-Rigged Stickworm

5" stickworm

1–12 ftdead slowweedless

Shop stickworms →

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
2025	Walleye	155,541 fry · 2,158 fingerlings · 341 yearlings · 119 adults
2023	Walleye	305,050 fry · 7,400 fingerlings
2021	Walleye	933 fingerlings · 322 adults
2019	Walleye	4,680 fingerlings · 3 yearlings · 10 adults
2017	Walleye	2,975 fingerlings

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

French Lake is a 346-acre lake located three miles southwest of the City of Annandale. The lake is highly productive and has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The watershed is large, and land use is primarily cultivated crops (47%). Summer water clarity is relatively poor and was 1.5 feet in July. Additionally, the University of Minnesota has documented a nine-year average Secchi depth of 4.2 feet in July . Dissolved oxygen supported fish down to 11 feet, identical to the 2013 survey. There is a singular DNR owned public access located on the northwest portion of the lake. A standard survey was conducted in 2025 to update information last collected in 2013. Anglers can expect quality fishing for Walleye, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. French Lake is infested with Eurasian watermilfoil; please remember to clean, drain, and dry.

The Walleye catch in 2025 was the highest ever recorded (9/gill net) and significantly higher than the 2013 survey (2.8/gill net). From 1985-2025 Walleye catches have ranged from 0.7-9.0/gill net, with a historical average of 2.9/gill net. Catch rates were above the expected values for similar lakes. Walleye sampled ranged in length from 10.8-28.1 inches, with a mean length and weight of 16.5 inches and 1.9 pounds. Sixty percent of Walleye sampled were 15 inches or longer and 19% were 20 inches or longer. Walleye grow quickly in French Lake, reaching 15 inches in length by age two. Nine different year-classes were sampled, four of which occurred in years without stocking, indicating some natural reproduction occurs. The 2023 year-class accounted of 76% of the Walleye sampled.

Read the full DNR narrative

Largemouth Bass were sampled via daytime electrofishing on April 23, 2025. A total of 74 bass were sampled in 2.37 hours (31.1/hour). Sampled bass ranged in length from 5.2-19.7 inches, with a mean length and weight of 14.7 inches and 1.8 pounds. Ninety-three percent of Largemouth Bass sampled were 12 inches or longer and 32% were 15 inches or longer. Two previous Largemouth Bass assessments were conducted in May of 2004 (32/hour) and May of 2011 (81/hour).

Northern Pike numbers have ranged from 2.2-18.5/gill net, with a long-term average of 5.5/gill net. The 2025 catch was (18.5/gill net) was significantly higher than the 2013 survey (3.2/gill net) and was the highest on record. Catch rates were higher than the expected values for similar lakes. Pike sampled ranged in length from 17-34.5 inches, with a mean length of 23 inches and 2.8 pounds. Fourteen percent of Northern Pike were 26 inches or longer and 3% were 30 inches or longer.

The Black Crappie catch (1.8/trap net) was less than both the 2013 survey (2.2/trap net) and the historical average (21.4/trap net). Catch rates were at the low end of what we would expect to see for similar lakes. Black Crappie were also sampled in gill nets (15.5/net), an increase from both the 2013 survey (2.3/net) and the historical average (11.3/net). Crappie sampled ranged in length from 4-13.1 inches, with a mean length of 6.5 inches. Twenty-four percent of Black Crappie sampled were eight inches or longer and 12% were ten inches or longer.

Bluegill numbers were (27.8/trap net) similar to the 2013 survey (28.9/trap net) and above the historical average (23.2/trap net). Catch rates were within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Bluegill sampled ranged in length from 3.3-8.6 inches, with a mean length of 5.9 inches. Fifty-six percent of Bluegill sampled were six inches or longer and 2% were longer than eight inches.

Other species sampled include: Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Crappie, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

French Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on French 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

Wright County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

French Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

French Lake depth map

French Lake depth contour map, Wright County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 50 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

Granite Lake · 362 ac · 3.1 mi
East Lake Sylvia · 669 ac · 3.5 mi
Moose Lake · 87 ac · 3.6 mi
John Lake · 398 ac · 3.7 mi
West Lake Sylvia · 904 ac · 3.7 mi
Mud Lake · 57 ac · 4 mi
Camp Lake · 123 ac · 4.7 mi
Francis Lake · 1,053 ac · 4.7 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is French Lake?

French Lake reaches 50 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 16.6 ft; about 45% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is French Lake?

French Lake covers 346 acres with about 3.8 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in French Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on French Lake average 3.5 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in French Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.

Is French Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.

Does French Lake have a public access?

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

How big do walleye get in French Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 28"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1996.

When was French Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed French Lake in 2025, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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