Thompson

Thompson Lake is a small 10 acre lake located in Thompson County Park (Dakota County Parks) within the city limits of West St. Paul. The lake has a maximum depth of eight feet and receives primarily stormwater inputs from the 169 acre surrounding watershed. A spillway outlet structure maintains the water level and discharges to the Mississippi River. Thompson County Park provides a variety of amenities for park users including Dakota Lodge which has space for parties and receptions and also a senior center. The park also has miles of walking paths, a fishing pier on the lake, picnic shelters and a playground. A shoreline restoration project (MN DNR and Dakota County Parks) and raingarden are located adjacent to the fishing pier. The lake is aerated in the winter to prevent winterkill. All fish were found in relatively low abundance during the 2013 survey. Bluegill Sunfish were small with no fish measuring over six inches long. Black Bullheads were the most abundant fish sampled and ranged from 4.5 inches up to 9.5 inches in length. One Channel Catfish (18.7 inches) and one Northern Pike (29.2 inches) were sampled in this survey. Based on these survey results Thompson Lake is in need of more top predators and perhaps a higher stocking rate for the Bluegill.

Thompson Lake is a sandy 10-acre, class 40 FiN (Fishing in the Neighborhood) lake located in West St. Paul. Thompson County Park (Dakota County Parks) borders approximately half of the shoreline and provides numerous amenities including a playground, picnic area, walking path, and fishing pier. A restoration covering about 250 feet of shoreline was conducted in 2003. In 2004, a rain garden was constructed between the parking lot and the walking path to intercept runoff, allowing water to infiltrate the soil rather than entering directly into Thompson Lake. The sport fish community consists of black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, and pumpkinseed sunfish. Dakota County provides winter aeration when needed during harsh winters. First stocked in 2004, northern pike are reproducing in Thompson Lake. Eight age-2 northern pike, averaging 15.7 inches, were sampled in trap nets. These fish are likely offspring of the adult northern pike stocked in 2004 and 2006. Bluegills and black crappies are present but in low to moderate numbers. Bluegill numbers (14.4/trap net) are down since 2003 survey (102.6/trap net). A partial winterkill in winter of 2006/2007 may have decreased overall bluegill numbers. What Thompson bluegills lack in numbers, they make up in size. Of the 72 sampled bluegills, approximately 24 and 66% of fish sampled were above 7.0 and 6.5 inches, respectively. Despite regular stockings of adult black crappies since 2001, only three age-4 crappies were sampled during survey. Sampled crappies averaged 9.1 inches and displayed above average growth. Other sunfish species were sampled in varying numbers. Green sunfish, averaging 5.6 inches, were in above average numbers (9.8/trap net) while pumpkinseed sunfish (average length=5.9 inches) were in moderate numbers (4.2/trap net). Additionally, eleven hybrid sunfish averaging 5.8 inches were also sampled. Trap net caught black bullheads (N=245; 49.0/trap net) averaged 7.1 inches and were in moderately high abundance. One 5.4 inch golden shiner was also sampled.

Thompson lake is located in Thompson County Park, City of West Saint Paul in Dakota County. A shoreline restoration was conducted in 2002 on 200 feet of the shore to prevent erosion, deter waterfowl use, and improve water quality. A fishing pier was installed in 2003 to improve angler accessability to the lake. The pier is the best place to fish since much of the shoreline is vegetated or steep, making angling difficult. The lake is 8 acres and has a maximum depth of 8.0 feet. Bluegill were abundant with most less than 5 inches long. Green sunfish were also abundant, but also of a small size. Black crappie were sampled in average numbers with an average size of 9 inches. Nearly half of the crappie sampled were over 10 inches long. The large size of this species is possibly due to the stockings that occured in 2001 and 2002. Black bullheads were also abundant with many over 10 inches long. Only one largemouth bass was sampled.This lake experiences periodic winterkills which in a small shallow basins can be benificial to the fishery because competition is reduced and the remaining fish can grow quickly to a large size. Thompson Lake is managed by the Fishing in the Neighborhood Program as a Kids Fishing Pond and is stocked with crappie and bluegill as needed.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Green Sunfish, and Pumpkinseed in Thompson. 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 Thompson. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Thompson has a maximum depth of 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Thompson is from 2013. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Yes — Thompson has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.