Bur Oaks Pond

Bur Oaks Lake is a shallow 16 acre lake located in the City of Eagan, Dakota County. The lake is separated into two basins connected by a narrow channel. The northern basin is the deeper and larger of the two (10 acres and 7 feet deep). The land surrounding the lake is managed by the City of Eagan as Bur Oaks Park and has the typical park amenities. This population assessment represents the first electrofishing survey conducted on Bur Oaks Lake. Although no record of any fish stocking exists in the DNR files, the City of Eagan stocked fingerling Largemouth Bass in 2013 and 2014. The City of Eagan 2014 stocking event was in response to winter kill that occurred during the winter of 2013-2014. The intent of this survey was to evaluate the survival and success of the City Eagan's stocking program on Bur Oak Lake. Daytime electrofishing was conducted on 7/22/2015 in cooperation with the City of Eagan. Catch rate and lengths were recorded for Largemouth Bass only. Largemouth Bass catch rate was 23.29/hour of on-time and a total of 7 Largemouth Bass were sampled. Of the Largemouth Bass sampled, all fish were determined to be the result of stocking efforts the past 2 years. Lengths ranged from 2.2 to 3.7 inches. Of the other gamefish present in Bur Oak, only a few were observed. Bullheads, Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds Sunfish were the most abundant fish seen and all were very small. A couple of small Northern Pike were also seen.

Bur Oaks Lake is a shallow 16 acre lake located in the City of Eagan, Dakota County. The lake is separated into two basins connected by a narrow channel. The northern basin is the deeper and larger of the two (10 acres and 7 feet deep) and is where all the net sets were located. The land surrounding the lake is managed by the City of Eagan as Bur Oaks Park and has the typical park amenities. This population assessment represents the first fish survey conducted on Bur Oaks Lake. There has been no fish stocking in the past. Seven species of fish were sampled during this assessment and included: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, and northern pike. Of the gamefish present, bluegills and pumpkinseeds were the most abundant but were small, averaging 4.2 inches long in the trapnet catch and with only two fish that exceeded seven inches. Black crappies were small (average length of 7.4 inches) and few in number, with only a total of seven fish sampled. The northern pike population appears to be healthy with a moderate number of fish sampled in this survey (N=8). The average size was around 24 inches with one large fish measuring 33 inches long. Black bullheads, hybrid sunfish and green sunfish were sampled in both gear types and were of a small average size.

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

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

Bur Oaks Pond has a maximum depth of 9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Bur Oaks Pond is from 2015. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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