Minnesota · Kandiyohi County
Nest Lake Fishing guide
Nest Lake covers 969 acres in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, reaching 40 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 5.9 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 23 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2025Fair numbers3.3per gill net17"Typical26"Biggest
Lengths measured · 41 fish
Recent · 2023 + 2024Lengths measured · 7 fish
2025Only 7 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 7 fish
2024Only 7 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 4 fish
2024Only 4 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 34 fish
2023Smallmouth bassJust a few7.8per hr (electrofishing)16"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 11 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 11 fish
2023Lengths measured · 13 fish
2018Lengths measured · 3 fish
2013Only 3 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 7 fish
2008Only 7 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Northern pikeFair numbers8.8per gill net20"Typical31"Biggest
Lengths measured · 65 fish
Recent · 2023 + 2024Lengths measured · 6 fish
2024Only 6 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 59 fish
2023Lengths measured · 25 fish
2018Lengths measured · 8 fish
2014Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Present in recent DNR surveys.
BluegillFair numbers44.4per trap net4"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 1078 fish
Recent · 2023 + 2024Lengths measured · 885 fish
2024Lengths measured · 193 fish
2023Lengths measured · 309 fish
2018Lengths measured · 161 fish
2013CrappieJust a few0.7per trap net5"Typical11"Biggest
Lengths measured · 18 fish
Recent · 2023 + 2024Lengths measured · 14 fish
2024Lengths measured · 4 fish
2023Only 4 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 32 fish
2018Lengths measured · 35 fish
2013Yellow perchFair numbers1.3per gill net6"Typical6"Biggest
Lengths measured · 13 fish
Recent · 2023 + 2024Lengths measured · 1 fish
2024Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 12 fish
2023Lengths measured · 6 fish
2018Only 6 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 11 fish
2013Rates 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 Nest 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. On a lake that drops to 40 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.
- 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 40 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 | 11" | — | — |
| 2024 | 26" | 28" | — |
| 2023 | 24" | 31" | 13" |
| 2022 | 10" | — | — |
| 2021 | 14" | — | — |
| 2019 | 10" | — | — |
| 2018 | 23" | 31" | 4" |
| 2017 | 10" | — | — |
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
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
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
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
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 | 797,706 fry · 3,091 fingerlings · 1,030 yearlings · 9 adults |
| 2024 | Walleye | 450,864 fry · 9,197 fingerlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 1,078,266 fry · 5,955 fingerlings |
| 2022 | Walleye | 38,131 fry |
| 2021 | Walleye | 854,819 fry · 3,115 fingerlings |
| 2018 | Walleye | 534,227 fry · 755 fingerlings · 5,690 yearlings · 68 adults |
| 2017 | Walleye | 1,821 fry |
| 2016 | Walleye | 1,972 fry |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2025 survey
A targeted fall night electrofishing survey was conducted for young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye on Nest Lake during October 9, 2025. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e., standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e., lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). Fall electrofishing was conducted at six stations for a total of 120 minutes. The water temperature was 60 F. during the 2025 fall night electrofishing survey. Submergent vegetation densities were generally moderate at the different stations in 2025. Water clarity was moderate. We observed abundant numbers of Sunfish, Yellow Bullhead, Yellow Perch, Shiner species and Brook Silversides in the 2025 fall night electrofishing survey. We also saw moderate numbers of Largemouth Bass, Northern Redhorse, White Sucker, Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike.
The Walleye population is due to a combination of natural reproduction and Walleye stockings (fry, fingerlings and adults) for Nest Lake based on surveys and oxytetracycline "OTC" marking. Nest Lake occasionally receives Walleye fry via scheduled stocking or from the Middle Fork of Crow River during clean-up operations of the Walleye hatching program at the New London State Fish Hatchery. Nest Lake was stocked with Walleye in 2015 (1,541,987 fry), 2017 (1,821 fry), 2018 (534,227 fry; 755 fingerlings, 40 pounds; 5,690 yearlings, 1,654 pounds; 68 adults, 165 pounds), 2021 (635,492 fry; 3,115 fingerlings, 635 pounds), 2022 (38,131 fry), 2023 (1,078,266 fry; 5,955 fingerlings, 502 pounds), 2024 (450,864 fry) and 2025 (797,706 fry; 9,197 fingerlings, 1,270 pounds). Walleye stocked into Nest were from the Pike River strain prior to 2014 and the local Spicer strain from 2014-2025. Walleye fry were marked with OTC in 2015. No Walleye were stocked into Nest during 2016, 2019 or 2020.
Read the full DNR narrative
Low YOY Walleye numbers were recently captured in 2025 (2.50 YOY/hour, 7.86 inches), 2024 (2.00 YOY/hour, 6.33 inches) and 2023 (5.50 YOY/hour, 7.10 inches) fall night electrofishing surveys. Moderate YOY Walleye numbers were captured in 2022 (13.85 YOY/hour, 7.27 inches). Yearling Walleye numbers were also low in the 2025 (0.50 fish/hour, 11.73 inches), 2024 (0.50 fish/hour), 2022 (0.92 fish/hour, 10.83 inches) and 2021 (0.50 fish/hour, 10.75 inches) fall night electrofishing surveys. Two-year-old fish (2019 year class) were abundant (13.5 fish/hour, 12.40 inches) in the 2021 fall night electrofishing survey. A fall night electrofishing survey was not conducted during 2020 in Nest. Moderate YOY Walleye numbers (36.00 YOY/hour, 7.10 inches) due to natural reproduction were captured in the 2019 fall night electrofishing survey. There were low YOY Walleye numbers captured (due to natural reproduction or fry stocking) in 2018 (4.50 YOY/hour, 7.17 inches). Low YOY Walleye numbers (3.00 YOY/hour, 5.79 inches) were captured in the 2017 fall night electrofishing survey. Moderate YOY Walleye numbers (40.50 YOY/hour, 7.33 inches) were captured in the 2016 fall night electrofishing survey. All the YOY Walleye captured in 2016 were from natural reproduction. Yearling walleye numbers were low in the 2016 (6.00 fish/hour, 9.93 inches), 2017 (3.00 fish/hour, 10.24 inches), 2018 (1.50 fish/hour, 11.65 inches) and 2019 (3.00 fish/hour, 10.55 inches) fall night electrofishing surveys. Moderate YOY numbers were captured in the 2015 fall (42.00 YOY/hour, 6.38 inches), but spring stocked OTC marked fry accounted for 71% of the fall YOY Walleye captured. There were also abundant yearling Walleye numbers (24.00 fish/hour, 8.87 inches) captured in 2015. This corresponds to abundant YOY Walleye numbers (due to natural reproduction or fry stocking) captured in the 2014 fall night electrofishing survey (52.50 YOY/hour, 5.71 inches).
Walleye numbers were low in the previous 2023 summer survey (3.33 fish/gillnet) compared to the historical average (6.58 fish/gillnet) for Nest Lake. The 2023 Walleye average size was moderate (1.75 pounds and 15.93 inches) from gillnets. The Walleye historical average weight is 1.67 pounds from gillnets. The 2022 Walleye year class (fry stocked year) comprised 32% of the 2023 total Walleye summer survey catch.
The Nest Lake fishery will be surveyed annually in the fall for YOY Walleye due to natural reproduction/fry stocking, May of 2026 by trapnets for Bluegill, and August of 2026 by gillnets for all fish species.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Nest Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Nest 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
- Nest Lake (E) (trailer launch)
- Nest Lake (W) (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Nest Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- George Lake · 228 ac · 1.6 mi
- Henderson Lake · 75 ac · 2.6 mi
- Green Lake · 5,569 ac · 3 mi
- Ringo Lake · 735 ac · 3.3 mi
- Elkhorn Lake · 79 ac · 3.7 mi
- Monongalia Lake · 2,290 ac · 4.4 mi
- Florida Lake · 705 ac · 4.6 mi
- Andrew Lake · 759 ac · 5 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Nest Lake?
Nest Lake reaches 40 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 15 ft; about 54% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Nest Lake?
Nest Lake covers 969 acres with about 10.2 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Nest Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Nest Lake average 5.9 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Nest Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass, channel catfish.
Is Nest Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.
Does Nest Lake have a public access?
Yes. Nest Lake has 2 public access sites, including Nest Lake (E) (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Nest Lake?
The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 26"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2017.
When was Nest Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Nest Lake in 2025, the most recent of 23 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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