Eagle

Eagle Lake is a 389-acre waterbody located 3 miles south of Cromwell, Minnesota, in the Mississippi River Watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 35 feet and has a habitat best suited for Black Crappie, Walleye, and Yellow Perch. A state-owned public access is located at the northeast end of the lake. The 2003 Lake Management Plan (LMP) identifies Walleye as the primary management species. Walleye have not been stocked in Eagle Lake since 1955 due to adequate natural reproduction. The LMP goals for Walleye are to maintain moderate gill net catch rates (greater than 5.8 fish per lift) with Walleye over 15 inches present. Anglers can help achieve this goal through selective harvest and proper catch-and-release techniques. To help estimate spawning success and evaluate future year-class strength, a fall young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleye electrofishing assessment was conducted on Eagle Lake in September 2025. This survey provides updated information on the abundance and average length of Walleye from the 2024 and 2025 year classes. Zero YOY Walleye were sampled for a catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of 0.0 per hour of electrofishing on time. Catch rates from previous investigations ranged from 0.0 to 57.7 per hour, with an average catch rate of 11.9 per hour. The average size of YOY Walleye from previous investigations ranged from 5.1 to 6.9 inches. The absence of YOY Walleye suggests a below-average 2025 year-class is possible. Two age-1 Walleye were sampled for a catch rate of 1.6 per hour of electrofishing. Catch rates for age-1 Walleye from previous investigations ranged from 0.0 to 39.3 per hour, with an average of 9.4 per hour. Length of age-1 Walleye was close to average at 8.6 inches. Prior average lengths have ranged from 8.3 to 11.2 inches with a cumulative average length of 9.3 inches. The low abundance of age-1 Walleye sampled in 2025 suggests the 2024 year-class could be below average. Although YOY and age-1 catch rates were below historical averages, other strong walleye year classes have occurred in Eagle Lake, and these year classes will dominate anglers' catch. As a result, Walleye angling on Eagle Lake is expected to be fair, with opportunities to catch quality fish, with more than 10 year-classes represented during the last standard survey in 2024.

A fall young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleye electrofishing assessment was conducted on Eagle Lake the night of 09/25/2024. Eagle Lake YOY and age-1 Walleye have been indexed annually with night electrofishing from 1999 through 2023. Collection of these data is important as an early indicator of Walleye year-class strength for Eagle Lake. Eagle Lake has not been stocked with Walleye since 1955 because the population has been able to adequately sustain itself through natural reproduction. Zero YOY Walleye were sampled for a catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of 0.0 per hour of electrofishing on-time. Catch rates from previous investigations ranged from 0.0 to 57.7 per hour with an average catch rate of 12.6 per hour. Average size of YOY Walleye from previous investigations ranged from 5.2 to 6.5 inches. The absence of YOY Walleye suggests that a below average 2024 year-class is possible. Five age-1 Walleye were sampled for a catch rate of 4.36 per hour of electrofishing. Catch rates for age-1 Walleye from previous investigations ranged from 0.0 to 27.1 per hour. Length of age-1 Walleye was average at 8.3 inches. Prior average lengths have ranged from 7.9 to 10.6 inches. The low abundance of age-1 Walleye sampled in 2024 suggests the 2023 year-class could be below average.

Eagle Lake is a 389-acre waterbody located 3 miles south of Cromwell, Minnesota in the Mississippi River Watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 35 feet and has habitat best suited for Black Crappie, Walleye and Yellow Perch. A state-owned public access is located at the northeast end of the lake. The 2003 lake management plan (LMP) listed Walleye as the primary management species and Yellow Perch as a secondary management species. The LMP goals were to maintain a moderate Walleye gill net catch with Walleye over 15 inches present. No goals were listed for Yellow Perch. Eagle Lake was assessed during the summer of 2024 to provide information about fish populations. The Walleye population in Eagle Lake is self-sustaining and has not been stocked since 1955. The 2024 Walleye gill net catch was within the expected range for similar lakes. Gill net sampled Walleye ranged from 7.1 to 24.0 inches with an average length of 16 inches. Size structure goals were generally achieved, and six preferred-length Walleye (>20 inches) were sampled. Walleye natural recruitment continues to be consistent in Eagle Lake with more than ten different year-classes represented. Good Walleye fishing opportunities exist given the number and size quality captured. Largemouth Bass caught in electrofishing surveys doubled since the last survey and suggests a growing bass population. Eagle Lake appears to have a moderate size quality, with three preferred-size Largemouth Bass (>15 inches) sampled and could provide good angler opportunities. The Northern Pike gill net catch for Eagle Lake was below average compared to similar lakes. Gill net sampled Northern Pike ranged from 21.2 to 29.3 inches with an average length of 24.6 inches. The Northern Pike population offers a decent opportunity for anglers including some angler-preferred size fish available. Black Crappie size quality appeared good, ranging from 5.0 to 12.2 inches and averaged 9.8 inches. Recruitment appeared consistent. The oldest fish were 7 years old from the 2017 year-class. Growth was moderate with fish averaging 8.5 inches by age 4. It appears that good crappie fishing opportunities exist. Bluegill catch of 6.3 per trap net was average when compared to other similar lakes. Bluegill in trap nets averaged 4.8 inches in length but several Bluegill over 9 inches long were captured in the gill nets. Yellow Perch gill net catches were down from the 2016 survey but remained within the expected range for lakes with similar habitat. Mean length of Yellow Perch was 6.9 inches and ranged from 5.7 to 11.4 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Walleye, and Largemouth Bass in Eagle. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Eagle has a maximum depth of 35 feet and a mean depth of 23 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Eagle is from 2024.

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