Dolney

Dolney Lake sits off the beaten path a little bit, just east of Crosslake, MN. Most of the lake is six feet or less in depth, with two smaller holes maxing out around 16 feet. It has been subject to winterkill in the past, with the lake being dominated by bullheads after such events. Recent mild winters have allowed most fish to survive relatively well and bullhead numbers weren't terribly high in this survey. With no walleyes present in Dolney, northern pike may be the best predator fish for anglers to target. Numbers were high (27.0/net), with an average size of 24". Fish ranged in size from 12.8"-37.1". New northern pike regulations effective March 1st, 2018 include a possession limit of 10 fish. Only 2 may be over 26" and all fish between 22"-26" must be immediately released. The intent of the regulation is to improve the harvest opportunity for pike and improve the fish community composition. The largemouth bass population was sampled by night electrofishing on May 30, 2017 at the rate of 85.4/hr. The population looked healthy, with fish ranging from 4.6"-19.2" and an average length of 10.3". Bluegill numbers were high in 2017 (30.2/net), but size was less impressive. Average size in 2017 was only 5.8", with only 14% measuring 7" or larger. Larger bluegills have been present a few years after winterkill events and are heavily targeted by anglers according to anecdotal reports. Black crappie numbers were average (5.0/net), with a decent assortment of sizes ranging from 4"-11.9" and representing nine year classes. Average size was 9.5".

Dolney is a 271 acre lake located 6 miles southwest of Emily or 6 miles east of Cross Lake in Crow Wing County. A public access is located on the northeast shore. The 2.3 mile shoreline is lightly developed, with 16 homes/cabins that are mainly seasonal. Bogs keep about one third of the shoreline from being developed. Dolney is a round, shallow lake (99.6% of the lake is 15' or less) that is heavily vegetated. The aquatic plant community consists of 21 species; the most common being the submerged species bushy pondweed and large-leaf pondweed. These plants provide food and cover needed by fish and other aquatic species. Because of its shallow depth and numerous plants, Dolney has been known to winterkill in the past. The predominant shallow water substrate is sand.Northern pike were caught in high numbers when compared to similar lakes (34.0/gill net). These results may be a little skewed due to the fact that only two nets were set, but were comparable to the 1989 survey results (33.5/gill net). The 1999 and 2001 year classes represented 52% of the catch with most of these fish measuring 17.7" to 21.3". Average length and weight were 22.2" and 2.4 lbs. with 24% of the fish being 24" or larger.Largemouth bass were sampled in both trap nets and gill nets at above average rates (1.4/trap net and 1.5/gill net). The 1997 and 1998 year classes were most abundant (79%). The average length and weight of bass sampled in trap nets was 11.8" and 1.1 lbs. These fish are slow growing and 74% were 12" or larger.Bluegill and black crappie were both sampled in high numbers. Trap net catches were 52.9/net for bluegill and 10.5/net for crappie. Bluegills averaged 5.9" with 13% being 7" or larger. Crappies average 8.7" with 64% of the fish 8" or larger. Both species were slow growing and had strong 1998 and 1999 year classes.

Dolney Lake has an extremely high population of northern pike and yellow bullheads, an average number of brown bullheads and black crappies and a low population of pumpkinseeds. The northern pike sampled represented ages one thru five, with three, four and five making up 92% of the sample. Average growth rates were exhibited by all age classes. The black crappies sampled were three and four year old fish with slow growth rates. Yellow bullheads sampled indicated a very high population and the average both in numbers and individual sizes. Dolney Lake is a potential freeze-out lake and did have a fairly substantial kill during the 1988-89 winter. Although no bluegills and yellow perch were taken in the initial netting, young of the year bluegills and yellow perch were present in fairly good numbers during the shoreline natural reproduction check. This would indicate to me that some individuals restocked the lake with adult bluegills and yellow perch.

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

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

Dolney has a maximum depth of 16 feet and a mean depth of 4 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Dolney is from 2017. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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