String

String Lake is a 402-acre, class 42 lake located four miles west of the City of Windom in Cottonwood County. String Lake is comprised of three basins divided by roads but are connected by culverts that allow fish passage. String Lake is a shallow basin (max depth of 6.0 ft.) that experiences frequent partial winterkills. While observed dissolved oxygen levels were not below 2.0 parts per million, dead fish were observed when the ice went off at String Lake. A winterkill check was done on May 15, 2023, using boat electrofishing to determine the extent of the winterkill. Six species of fish were sampled during the 2023 winterkill check including Bigmouth Buffalo (80.5 per hour), Black Bullhead (13.8 per hour), Common Carp (7.9 per hour), Fathead Minnow (53.0 per hour), Walleye (2.0 per hour), and Yellow Perch (3.9 per hour). The presence of several species suggests that a partial winterkill occurred at String Lake, but not severe enough to alter the fish community. String Lake was stocked with 325,000 Walleye fry in the spring of 2023 to establish a top-level predator.

String Lake is a 402-acre lake located four miles west of the City of Windom in Cottonwood County. String Lake is comprised of three basins divided by roads, but are connected by culverts that allow fish passage. String Lake is a shallow basin (max depth of 6.0 ft.) that experiences frequent partial winterkills. Management activities have been limited on String Lake, which is managed primarily for Yellow Perch. There are no secondary management species; however, Northern Pike were stocked in 2007, 2009, and 2010. A survey was conducted the week of June 8, 2016 to monitor fish populations using eight trap nets. In 2016, the Yellow Perch catch rate was 13.8 per trap net, which is much higher than the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes. Historically, Yellow Perch have been abundant in String Lake and have been sustained through natural reproduction. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 5.2 to 10.2 inches and averaged 7.5 inches. Yellow Perch were skinny, indicating that a high density Yellow Perch population exists that may be depleting prey resources. Angling action for Yellow Perch should be fast, but some sorting may be needed to get a few keepers. One 30.5 inch Northern Pike was captured in the survey. Northern Pike are present but may be difficult to find because of their low abundance. In 2016, the Black Crappie catch rate was 5.4 per tap net, which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes. Lengths of Black Crappie ranged from 4.3 to 10.1 inches. Black Crappies are maintaining their population through natural reproduction, as there appears to be at least three year classes present in String Lake. Black Crappie angling should be decent in the spring when they are in shallow spawning. The Channel Catfish catch rate in 2016 was 1.0 per trap net. Lengths of Channel Catfish ranged from 16.6 to 24.5 inches and averaged 20.6 inches. The Black Bullhead catch rate was 21.3 per trap net. Black Bullhead lengths ranged from 5.7 to 14.2 inches and averaged 9.4 inches. Other species sampled included Bigmouth Buffalo, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Orangespotted Sunfish, and White Sucker.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Green Sunfish and Black Crappie in String. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for String. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

String has a maximum depth of 3.8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in String is from 2023.

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