Boulder

Boulder Lake is located in southern Hubbard County, 1.5 miles northeast of Dorset. Boulder has a surface area of 340 acres and a maximum depth of 28 feet. A public access with a concrete ramp is located on the west shore. Boulder provides angling opportunities for Walleye, Northern Pike, panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Boulder is in lake class 31. Class 31 lakes generally have hard water and a regularly shaped shoreline. Other class 31 lakes in the Park Rapids management area include Second, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Crow Wing Lakes, Duck, Evergreen, Hattie, Hinds, and Lower Twin. Walleye abundance was down from past surveys but within the range typical for this lake class. Sampled Walleye ranged in length from 9.2 to 26.6 inches and had an average length of 17.4 inches. Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye were sampled in moderate numbers with fish measured up to 10.2 inches. Northern Pike were sampled in moderate numbers for this lake class, similar to past surveys. Sampled Northern Pike had an average length of 21.7 inches with fish measured up to 30.1 inches. Boulder supports both Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass with Largemouth Bass the more abundant of the two species. Anglers will find good numbers of bass in the 12-15 inch size range. Boulder has good water quality, submerged and emergent vegetation that provides excellent habitat for bass and panfish. Present and past surveys have shown the panfish population to fluctuate from low to moderate numbers. Anglers will find good numbers of Bluegill and Pumpkinseed in the 6-8 inch size range and Black Crappie in the 9-10 inch size range. Other species sampled included moderate numbers of White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead, and low numbers of Rock Bass. Faucet snails, an aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Boulder. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the lake.

Boulder Lake is located in southern Hubbard County, 1.5 miles northeast of Dorset. Boulder has a surface area of 340 acres and a maximum depth of 28 feet. A public access with a concrete ramp is located on the northwest shore. Boulder provides angling opportunities for Walleye, Northern Pike, panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Boulder is in lake class 31. Class 31 lakes generally have hard water and a regularly shaped shoreline. Other class 31 lakes in the Park Rapids area include Second, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Crow Wing Lakes, Duck, Evergreen, Hattie, Hinds, and Lower Twin. Walleye abundance has remained stable the past several surveys on Boulder, with gill net catch rates above the range for this lake class and near management goals. Good numbers of Walleye in the 14 to 18 inch size range were sampled with fish measured up to 26.4 inches. Yellow Perch, an important forage species were sampled in high numbers. Yellow Perch abundance had been low the last several surveys on Boulder. Yellow Perch had an average length of 7.4 inches with fish measured up to 10.2 inches. Northern Pike abundance was down, with catch rates the lowest recorded for all surveys on Boulder dating back to 1949. While Pike numbers were down, size was better than past surveys with an average length and weight of 24.0 inches and 3.0 pounds and fish measured up to 32.1 inches. Boulder supports both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass populations, with Largemouth Bass the more abundant of the two species. Anglers will find good numbers of bass in the 12 -15 inch size range. The proportion of larger bass sampled (>15 inches) was low compared to past surveys and other lakes in this class. Boulder has good water quality, submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation that provides excellent habitat for bass and panfish. Boulder has a low to moderate panfish population, but can provide some good fishing, especially for Black Crappie. Anglers will find good populations of Bluegill and Pumpkinseed; however, size of fish run small, with few fish over 7.0 inches sampled. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Boulder. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the lake.

Boulder Lake (29-0162-00) is a 340.54-acre lake with a maximum depth of 28 feet located 2 miles northeast of Dorset, MN. A survey targeting near shore fish species was conducted by Park Rapids Fisheries Staff on July 25, 2018 to assess populations of non-game and small sport fish. Ten 100-foot sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake shore, sampling a variety of habitat types. Each site was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot 1/8th-inch mesh seine, depending on habitat conditions. During this assessment, five sites were sampled with a 50-foot seine and three sites were sampled with a 15-foot seine. Site conditions prevented the use of seines at two sites. Backpack electrofishing was done at all 10 sites, several of which were conducted from the side of the boat. Nearshore sampling captured eleven species of fish including one species intolerant of disturbance; Banded Killifish. Other species sampled during the nearshore effort included Bluegill, Bluntnose Minnow, Iowa Darter, Johnny Darter, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spottail Shiner, and Yellow Perch. Nearshore catches will be used along with gill net and trap net catch data from a standard fisheries survey conducted on August 20, 2018, to calculate a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score which is indicative of the health of Boulder Lake. This survey is contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. Boulder Lake is located in the Crow Wing River Watershed.

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

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

Boulder has a maximum depth of 28 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

Yes — Boulder has confirmed faucet snail. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.