Artichoke

Artichoke Lake is in western Minnesota approximately 14 miles northwest of Appleton. It is a highly productive prairie lake with a maximum depth of 15 feet and a surface area of 1,964 acres. Artichoke has several shallow rocky reefs and points that are not marked so anglers should study a contour map carefully before boating. An aeration system located near the "narrows" is frequently operated during winter and it creates a substantial area of open water. Artichoke's fishery is managed primarily for walleyes, black crappies, largemouth bass and northern pike. Artichoke experienced a severe fish die-off during the winter of 2022-2023 due to the natural occurrence of low oxygen. Most game fish died and needed to be restocked. Save-A-Lake aeration operates an aeration system when necessary to reduce the chance of winterkill. However, during severe winters aeration doesn't always work. This was the case in 2022-23 when a rapid oxygen crash "overpowered" the ability of aeration to replenish oxygen and a severe winterkill occurred. The lake was restocked with walleye fry, and broodstock largemouth bass, black crappies and spottail shiners. Annual fall surveys are conducted to collect fish population data using gill nets, trap nets and nighttime electrofishing. Walleyes were abundant during the 2025 survey and most were 12-14 inches. A strong 2025-year class of 7-8-inch walleyes was present as well, which should provide good fishing in the future. Species historically common to Artichoke Lake are increasing in number. Black crappies were moderately abundant and ranged from 4-8 inches. Freshwater drum were abundant and the majority were 4-6 inches. Some northern pike were also caught with the largest measuring 26 inches. High numbers of young-of-year largemouth bass were present along with a moderate number of young adults. Fathead minnows were abundant and being fed heavily on by the game fish. Once the minnow numbers have been reduced by predation, anglers can expect some good fishing, especially for walleyes.

Artichoke Lake is in western Minnesota approximately 14 miles northwest of Appleton. It is a highly productive prairie lake with a maximum depth of 15 feet and a surface area of 1,964 acres. Artichoke has several shallow rocky reefs and points that are not marked so anglers should study a contour map carefully before boating. An aeration system located near the "narrows" is frequently operated during winter and it creates a substantial area of open water. Artichoke's fishery is managed primarily for walleyes, black crappies, largemouth bass and northern pike. Artichoke experienced a severe fish die-off during the winter of 2022-2023 due to the natural occurrence of low oxygen. Most game fish likely perished and needed to be restocked. Walleye fry were stocked in 2023 and 2024. Broodstock largemouth bass, black crappies and spottail shiners were also stocked. Annual fall surveys are conducted to collect current fish population data using gill nets and nighttime electrofishing. Walleyes from the 2023 year class were moderately abundant during 2024. They had an average length of 12 inches, with the largest measuring 14 inches. Extremely high numbers of young-of-year walleyes were present. They had an average length of 6 inches. Other species caught were bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, northern pike, quillback and white sucker. Bigmouth buffalo and black bullheads were abundant. Young-of-year largemouth bass were also present. The fishery in Artichoke Lake has partially recovered since the winterkill and may provide angling opportunities for walleyes, northern pike, channel catfish and bullheads during 2025.

Artichoke Lake is in western Minnesota approximately 14 miles northwest of Appleton. It is a highly productive lake with a maximum depth of 15 feet and a surface area of 1,964 acres. Artichoke has several shallow reefs and points that are not marked so anglers should study a contour map carefully before boating. An aeration system located near the "narrows" is usually operated during winter and it creates a substantial area of open water. Artichoke Lake's fishery is managed primarily for walleyes, with secondary emphasis on black crappies, northern pike, largemouth bass and yellow perch. Artichoke experienced a severe winterkill during the 2022-2023 winter. Walleye fry, spottail shiners and adult black crappies were stocked in spring 2023. Stocking of other species will occur when available. This annual fall survey was conducted to collect current fish population data using gill nets, trap nets and nighttime electrofishing. Young-of-year bigmouth buffalo, black bullheads, common carp and walleyes were present in high numbers. The young-of-year walleyes had a mean length of 5.6 inches. With good growth, they may be 13 inches by late fall 2024. Although the fishery is going to take time to rebound, the large number of walleyes from the 2023 year class should provide some good fishing in a year or two.

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

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

Artichoke has a maximum depth of 15.5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

No invasive species are on record for Artichoke in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.