Carlson

Carlson Lake (19-0066-00), as it's now officially known is located in the city of Eagan. The lake drops off rather quickly to a maximum of 19 feet with approximately 26% of the surface area over 15 feet. Although an aeration system is operated (as needed) to prevent winterkill, city staff report it is not often needed. Another nearby lake (19-0155-00), known by the same name but primarily called Quigley, results in obvious confusion. The other Carlson/Quigley (19-0155-00) is shallow and not managed for fishing. There is city property on the south and east sides, a fishing pier on the east side and a shore fishing structure on the south side, plus additional shore fishing locations located on city of Eagan property provide plenty of shore fishing access. Vegetation is sparse and is restricted to a narrow band near shore, so it should not interfere significantly with angling from shore. This electrofishing survey found a moderate abundance of Largemouth Bass. Lengths ranged from 4 to 12 inches. Walleyes were sampled in low abundance with two 11-12 inch fish collected.

Carlson Lake (19-0066-00) as it's now officially known as per recent MN DNR Eco-Waters DOW listing ruling is located in the city of Eagan. The lake drops off rather quickly to a maximum of 19 feet. Approximately 26% of the surface area is over 15 feet deep. An aeration system is operated as needed to prevent winterkill, but city staff report it is not often needed. Another nearby lake (19-0155-00) is known by the same name, but primarily called Quigley. This results in obvious confusion. The other Carlson/Quigley (i.e. 19-0155-00) is shallow and not managed for fishing. There is city property on the south and east sides. There is a fishing pier on the east side and a shore fishing structure on the south side, plus additional shore fishing locations located on city of Eagan property. Vegetation is sparse and is restricted to a narrow band near shore, so it does not interfere significantly with angling from shore. This electrofishing survey found a high abundance of Largemouth Bass. Lengths ranged from 4 to 15 inches. Walleyes were sampled in low abundance with one 8 inch fish collected. Three Channel Catfish were recorded during this assessment ranging from 12 to almost 19 inches.

Carlson Lake (19-0066-00) as it's locally known, officially it's known as Quigley Lake as found in MN DNR Eco-Waters DOW listings and is located in the city of Eagan. The lake drops off rather quickly to a maximum of 19 feet. There is city property on the south and east sides. There is a fishing pier on the east side and a shorefishing structure on the south side, plus additional shorefishing locations located on city of Eagan property. Vegetation is sparse and is restricted to a narrow band near shore, so it does not interfere significantly with angling from shore. Bluegill are not abundant but are of slightly above average size for a metro area lake. Average size was just less than 6 inches and nearly 80% of the bluegill sampled measured between 5 and 7.5 inches. Black crappie were sampled in low numbers as well. The most common size was in the 7 to 8 inch range, with very few observed over 8 inches. Largemouth bass are found in average abundance in Carlson Lake and anglers report good bass fishing. The largest fish sampled was 16.34 inches. Walleye were sampled in low numbers, with only one fish sampled during this survey which was 11 inches long. This fish corresponds to a stocking that occurred in 2010. Yearling Channel catfish (711) were stocked in June 2012 however no channel catfish were sampled in July during this survey. Several hybrid sunfish and black bullhead were sampled and both are in low abundance in Carlson Lake. Golden shiners were also sampled in low numbers as compared to previous surveys.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Pumpkinseed, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass in Carlson. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Carlson has a maximum depth of 19 feet and a mean depth of 11.9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Carlson is from 2022.

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