Peltier

Peltier Lake is a 551 acre, class 38 lake, located in eastern Anoka County within the Rice Creek watershed. A dam was constructed at the outlet to control the water level of Peltier and Centerville Lakes. Winter aeration via pump and baffle system has been operated as needed since 1988. Peltier Lake is part of a study called the Sentinel Lakes Project, which includes increased fish, habitat, and water quality sampling. A water level drawdown was conducted in the fall of 2017 in an attempt to control non-native curly-leaf pondweed. Walleye are the primary management species and have been stocked most years since 2013. This survey was conducted using gill nets and trap nets in August 2025. The previous survey was done in June 2021. Only one 24.7 inch Walleye was sampled in the survey. Walleye fry have been stocked consistently almost every year since 2008. Northern Pike were sampled in above average numbers in this survey (14.3per gill net). Northern Pike lengths ranged from 16.9 to 36.2 inches, with an average of 23.3 inches. Most Pike were within the 20 to 25 inch range. Bluegill numbers increased drastically from previous surveys with a trap net catch rate of 24.6/net, up from just 9. 1/net in 2021. The current rate is above average for similar lakes. Bluegill caught in trap nets were generally small, ranging from 3.1 to 8.5 inches. Bluegill ages ranged from 1 to 8 years old with the 2023 year class (2 years old) having by far the most fish. There was a spike of 7 year old fish, indicating a strong year class in 2018. The significant increase in Bluegill numbers since 2021 may have influenced Black Crappie numbers in 2025. Black Crappie were caught in trap nets at a rate of 2.4 per net and gill nets at a rate of 3.5 per net, a major decrease from the 2021 survey, where the gill net catch rate was 48.5/net (highest gillnet catch rate ever observed in Peltier Lake). Black Crappie lengths ranged from 5.1 to 10.3inches, with an average of just under 8 inches. Yellow Perch were sampled at a rate of 7.7 per gill net, an increase from the 2.8 per net in 2021, but significantly down from previous surveys dating back to 2009. Yellow Perch had a length range of 5.7 to 8.5 inches, with an average length of 6.6 inches. Perch ages ranged from 2 to 5 years old, with almost 90 percent of individuals being age 2 or 3. Largemouth Bass were sampled at a rate of 0.8 per gill net (5 total sampled). Electrofishing is the preferred method for sampling Largemouth Bass, as netting gears are not effective in assessing Largemouth Bass populations. Bass lengths ranged from 8.9 to 18.7 inches, with an average length of 11.2 inches. Other fish species sampled in low numbers in 2025 included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin (dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead

Peltier Lake is a 551 acre, class 38 lake, located in eastern Anoka County. Peltier Lake is part of the Rice Creek watershed. A dam was constructed at the outlet of Peltier Lake to control the water level of Peltier and Centerville Lakes. Winter aeration via pump and baffle system has been operated as needed since 1988. Peltier Lake has also been included in a study called the Sentinel Lakes Project, which includes increased fish, habitat and water quality sampling. A water level drawdown was conducted in the fall of 2017 in an attempt to control non-native curly-leaf pondweed. Walleye are the primary management species and are stocked at a rate of 1,000 fry per littoral acre annually. This survey was conducted using trap nets, gill nets, and night-time electrofishing in June 2021. The previous survey occurred in 2016. Only two Walleye were sampled in the survey resulting in a catch rate of 0.3 fish per gill net. This is well below the first quartile for the lake class but only one survey in history has exceeded 2.5 fish per gill net which was 4.7 fish per net in 1997. The fish measured 18 and 21 inches long and were 3 and 10 years old. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 12.5 fish per gillnet. This rate is much higher than similar lakes but it is typical relative to recent previous surveys. Fish size was also typical with a mean length of 23.4 inches. Sizes ranged from 13.3 to 30.9 inches and fish were well distributed across that range. Black Crappie were sampled by trap nets at a rate of 6.1 fish per net which is typical. Gill nets sampled them at a rate of 48.5 fish per net which is several times more than average on similar lakes but fairly typical relative to the lakes history. This discrepancy between the gears can likely be at least partially explained by the exceptionally thick vegetation and shallow water where the trap nets are set as this difference manifests in most surveys in the lakes recent history. Fish size was average with a mean length in gill nets of 7.5 inches and a maximum of 11 inches. One 14.5 inch fish was captured in trap nets which was the largest fish sampled. Trap nets sampled Bluegill at a rate of 9.6 fish per net. This is lower than average for the similar lakes but equivalent to recent surveys. This consistently low catch rate is again likely due to the vegetation and shallow water where the trap nets are set. Fish size was lower than average with a mean length of 5.4 inches. Bluegill sampled by gill nets were slightly larger with a mean length of 6.4 inches and a maximum of 8.7 inches. Fish ranged in age from 1 to 9 years with the majority of them being 3 years old. Yellow Perch were sampled at a rate of 2.8 fish per gill net. This is well below average and catch rates have been consistently declining from an all-time high catch rate of 85 fish per net in 2009. Fish size was typical with a mean length of 6.8 inches and a maximum length of 7.4 inches. All fish aged were 3 years old which likely indicates that recruitment has been inconsistent in recent years. Electrofishing sampled Largemouth Bass at a rate of 10.8 fish per hour. This is the lowest rate since the 2008 survey and is low relative to other lakes in the area. Excessively thick vegetation and poor visibility likely reduced sampling effectiveness. Size ranged widely from 3.7 to 17.8 inches with a mean length of 9 inches. Fish ages ranged from 1 to 7 years old. Other fish sampled included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Redhorse species, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Peltier Lake is a 551 acre class 38 lake located in eastern Anoka County. The fish community is dominated by Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike. Walleye are currently stocked at a rate of 1,000 fry per littoral acre annually. Peltier Lake is part of the Rice Creek watershed. A dam was constructed at the outlet of Peltier Lake to control the water level of Peltier and Centerville Lakes. A pumping station exists in Centerville Lake for the St. Paul Water Utility. During high water events, the dam does not function as a fish barrier. Winter aeration via pump and baffle system has been operated as needed since 1988. Peltier Lake has also been included in a study called the Sentinel Lakes Project, which includes increased fish, habitat and water quality sampling. . No Walleye were sampled during this survey, a decrease from 5 sampled in the last survey in 2013. Northern Pike catch rate was 10.5 fish per gill net, above average for class 38 lakes. The average length of sampled pike was 22.5 inches, and the largest was 33.6 inches. Over 57% of sampled pike were greater than 21 inches in length, and 19% were greater than 26 inches. Bluegill catch rate was 13 fish per trap net, below average for class 38 lakes. Bluegill catch rate is up significantly from 3.89 fish per trap net sampled in 2013. The average length of Bluegills sampled in the trap nets was 5.87 inches. Over 58% of Bluegills sampled were greater than 6 inches in length and 23% were greater than 7 inches. Age-2 and age-3 fish were the most abundant. Black Crappie catch rate was 2.67 fish per trap net and 39.5 fish per gill net, above average for class 38 lakes. Over 50% of sampled crappie were greater than 8 inches in length, and 8% were greater than 9 inches. The vast majority of fish were from the 2014 year class (age-2), which appears to be strong and may provide good angling opportunities during the next few years. Yellow Perch catch rate was 17.5 fish per gill net, down slightly from 20 fish per gill net sampled in 2013. Sampled perch ranged from 5.4 to 7.9 inches in length with an average length of 6.3 inches. The majority of fish belonged to the 2014(age-2) and 2013(age-3) year classes.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, White Crappie, Bluegill, Muskellunge, and Walleye in Peltier. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Peltier. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Peltier has a maximum depth of 18 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Peltier is from 2025.

Yes — Peltier has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.