Munson

Munson Lake is a heavily developed 123-acre lake located three miles southwest of Detroit Lakes, MN. Residential shoreline development had occurred on nearly all privately-owned lakeshore that was readily developable by the 1980's and development since that time has consisted of housing additions near the lakeshore. This targeted assessment utilized only gill nets and was aimed at evaluating the Walleye, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch populations as Walleye fingerlings are stocked in even years. The assessment was conducted in the middle of August 2022. Walleye abundance in Munson Lake was at an all-time high in 2022. Walleye had a mean length of 14.6 inches and ranged from 11 to near 19 inches long. Northern Pike abundance remains low in Munson Lake, with fish having a mean length of 24 inches. The largest pike sampled was 33 inches long. Although gill nets are not a primary method for sampling Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Largemouth Bass, some were captured in 2022. Bluegill had an average length of 7.9 inches and a maximum length of almost nine inches. Black Crappie up to 11 inches were captured, but most were 7.5 inches long. Largemouth Bass had an average length of 10 inches, with the largest fish measuring just short of 16 inches long. Gill net catches of Yellow Perch have historically varied dramatically in Munson Lake. The last survey in 2015 sampled 2.2 perch per net, but no perch were captured during this survey. Other species sampled during this targeted survey were Pumpkinseed Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Munson Lake is a heavily-developed, 123-acre lake located three miles southwest of Detroit Lakes, MN. The fish community in Munson Lake is generally dominated by Northern Pike, bass, and panfish. This assessment was done to evaluate these fish populations. During this assessment in July of 2015, gill nets and trap nets were used, and emergent vegetation stands were mapped. In addition, Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie were sampled during spring of 2015 as part of this sampling effort. In 2015, Walleye catch rates were at the second highest level recorded for Munson Lake and well above the historical average for this lake. Walleyes from nine different age classes were sampled, with a mean length of 17.5 inches, and a mean weight of nearly 2 pounds. Walleye fingerlings are stocked in even-numbered years to maintain the population in Munson Lake. Northern Pike catch rates decreased slightly since the previous assessment, and are currently below the average range for lakes with similar characteristics. Average length of Northern Pike sampled was just over 23 inches, and approximately 36% of the Pike sampled were over 24 inches. Bluegill catch rates were within the average range of lakes with similar characteristics, and increased slightly from the 2008 assessment. Bluegills sampled in 2015 averaged 5.3 inches, and some fish near eight inches were caught. Bluegills reached 4.1 inches in four years of growth, while the fish near eight inches in length were nine years old. Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie catch rates were near the historical averages for Munson Lake. Average size of Largemouth Bass sampled was 11 inches, with fish over 19 inches captured. Average size of Black Crappie sampled was 7.2 inches, with fish over 10 inches captured. Survey notes indicate that many spawning beds were observed during spring sampling efforts. Catch rate of catches of Yellow Perch increased slightly from the historical low rate in 2008, but are still below the average for lakes of similar characteristics. Perch sampled were all of similar size, near six inches. Yellow and Brown Bullhead numbers within Munson Lake were low, while Black Bullheads were not observed. While several indicators show that Munson Lake's water quality is relatively good, shoreline and watershed protection are necessary to preserve the integrity of the fish populations.

Munson Lake is a small (123 acre), heavily-developed lake with a fish community that can best be described as northern pike/bass/panfish. The lake's size makes it potentially more vulnerable to over-fishing than larger lakes in the area. In 2008, net catches of yellow perch, largemouth bass, and walleye were lower than during the 2001 survey, though only the perch were down substantially. Northern pike, bluegill, and black crappie catches, on the other hand, had increased. The walleyes in Munson Lake are generally stocked fish, since there is little favorable spawning habitat for this species here. Walleyes averaged just over 15 inches in length, weighing a pound and a quarter each in 2008. Not only were the numbers of northern pike up, but so were the average sizes. Though pike over 30 inches are not common, they can be found in Munson Lake. Munson Lake's bluegills also increased in size, growth rate, and number over the past seven years. It took about five years for a bluegill in the lake to reach seven inches in length in recent years, compared to seven years or longer reported in the past. Even in the first DNR Fisheries survey in 1966, no bluegills larger than eight inches were caught. This may be because bluegills approaching that size were "cropped off" by anglers or because these fish just don't grow large in Munson Lake. The recently increased growth rates may change that if some of the larger fish can avoid harvest for an additional year or two. While several indicators of water quality show that Munson Lake's is relatively good, there are things lakeshore owners and other watershed dwellers can do to help sustain quality water, fish populations, and property values. Some of these include: (1) exceeding shoreline setback for buildings and septic systems, (2) not fertilizing or using phosphorus free fertilizers, (3) leaving wide shoreline buffer zones of unmowed, natural vegetation, (4) leaving as much aquatic vegetation (especially bulrushes and cattails) intact as possible when obtaining access to open water, (5) regulating personal fish harvest by properly releasing a portion of the "keepers" one might normally kill and eat, and (6) following practices illustrated in the DNR document "Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality" when landscaping shoreline property.

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

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

Munson has a maximum depth of 26 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Munson is from 2022.

Yes — Munson has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.