Benton

Electrofishing for age-0 Walleye was conducted on 23 September 2025 on Lake Benton. Lake Benton was not stocked with Walleye fry during 2025, so any age-0 Walleye sampled would have been from natural reproduction or emigration. Fifty -three (53) age-0 Walleye were sampled during 32 minutes of electrofishing. Sampling was conducted during late day. Fin clips from 50 age-0 Walleye were kept and sent for genetic testing to determine ancestry. It was determined that 33% of age-0 Walleye were Spicer Strain (SPS) and 35% were Lower Mississippi Strain (LMS) with the remainder not assigning distinctly to any strain and were a cross of genetic strains. Therefore, including the genetic crosses, Lake Benton is unique in that southern Minnesota strains are extremely dominant and make up nearly the entire 2025 year class. Spicer strain Walleye (Spicer Area Fisheries Office egg take) were last stocked in 2016 with stocking occurring from the early 2000's until 2016. Lower Mississippi Strain (Windom Area Fisheries Office egg take) Walleye have been stocked in Lake Benton since 2018 with spawning size fish (age-3 and older) becoming more common over the past several years. It appears that Lake Benton may contain an increasingly unique Walleye population with more and more evidence of natural reproduction during the past 20 years. Since 2005, Lake Benton has a contribution of 20% due to natural reproduction. The 20% is only what can be determined during years where other Walleye are not stocked, so the true percentage could actually be greater with natural reproduction adding to the population during years where Walleye fry are stocked. More investigation into natural reproduction via genetic testing of year classes caught in gill nets and electrofishing will be done on Lake Benton.

Lake Benton is a 2,857-acre lake located in Lincoln County nine miles east of the Minnesota-South Dakota border and adjacent to the city of Lake Benton. Lake Benton has a maximum depth of 9 feet, a 12-year average Secchi depth of 1.6 feet (range = 0.5-2.5), and at times supports aquatic vegetation. Historically turbid water conditions often create a situation where both submergent and emergent aquatic vegetation is sparse. The native submergent composition, although scarce, is sago and coontail and invasive curly-leaf pondweed on the east end of the lake. Curly-leaf pondweed was at one time very prolific and covered nearly 100% of the surface water. Herbicidal treatment (Fluridone) from 2005 to 2009 severely reduced its presence until 2018 when it re-emerged. Low dose Fluridone was utilized again in 2019 on the east end and has helped to keep the curly-leaf at a lower density. Lake Benton is primarily managed for Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch. A Standard Survey was conducted the week of August 6th, 2025 with 6 gill nets and 15 trap nets to assess the fish community. Walleye are the primary management species in Lake Benton. Lake Benton, at times, can be a destination for southwest Minnesota anglers pursuing Walleye. Since 2010, the gill net catch rates during summer surveys has been above the current long-range average of 22.6 Walleye per gill net, except for 2021. The 2025 Walleye catch rate was the lowest recorded since 2005 at 6.5 per gill net. Nonetheless, the average catch rate in Lake Benton is greater than the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes in Minnesota (15.33 per gill net). Eleven year classes (ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15+) of Walleye were present in the 2025 sample with age-3 being the most abundant representing 39% of all aged fish. Walleye ranged in length from 8.2 to 28.0 inches with a mean length of 17.1 inches in both sampling gears. Fifty four percent of Walleye in the gill net were over 16.0 inches. Growth of Walleye was slow for similar lakes in the area as mean length at age-1 was 8.2 inches, age-2 was 10.9 inches, and age-3 was 14.2 inches. Growth of Walleye and overall relative abundance appears adequate to sustain Walleye in Lake Benton. Northern Pike relative abundance in gill net samples has been above the long-term average of 1.0 per net over the past 3 surveys (since 2019). During 2025, the gill net catch rate was 1.5 per net which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.2 to 7.8 per gill net). Northern Pike lengths ranged from 14.5 to 33.1 inches and averaged 25.2 inches. Fifty percent of the Northern Pike sampled in both gears were over the 24-inch minimum size limit in the Southern Zone of Minnesota's Pike Management regulations. Northern Pike natural reproduction maintains the existing population either within the lake or from connected streams and wetlands upstream (particularly Norwegian Creek). Any improvements in Northern Pike abundance into the future may focus on spawning habitat identification and potential improvement. Yellow Perch are also a popular species targeted by anglers in Lake Benton. Yellow Perch abundance in Lake Benton has been highly variable ranging from 1.8 per gill net in 2005 to 87.3 per gill net in 2017 and averaging 30.3 per gill net since 1983. The 2025 Yellow Perch catch rate was 11.2 per gill net which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (3.0 to 22.5 per gill net). Yellow Perch ranged in length from 6.4 to 11.6 inches and averaged 8.7 inches. Although Yellow Perch population abundance in Lake Benton can be up and down, size of Yellow Perch is typically above average for southwestern Minnesota populations. Angling for Black Crappie is popular in Minnesota, and the local fishing club (Lake Benton Sportsman's Club) has an interest in maintaining a fishable crappie population in Lake Benton. Black Crappie were last purchased in 2025 by The Lake Benton Sportsman's Club and a private supplier stocked 1,600 fish. Since 2019, Black Crappie relative abundance has been above the long-term trap net average of 3.8 per trap net. In 2025, the catch rate was 9.9 per trap net while the gill net catch rate was 13.3 per net. Black Crappie ranged in length from 6.8 to 12.2 inches and averaged 8.1 inches. A strong year class of Black Crappie ranging from 7.0 to 9.0 inches comprises most of the present population in Lake Benton. Lake Benton is a simple fish community with few species sampled. Other species sampled in 2025 include Black Bullhead, Bluegill, Common Carp, and White Sucker. Black Bullhead relative abundance increased from 14.8 per gill net in 2023 to 70.8 per gill net in 2025. Common Carp relative abundance is down substantially from high catch rates in 2019 (58.0 per gill net) and 2021 (69.8 per gill net) to 6.0 per gill net in 2025. Common Carp were infected with Carp Edema Virus (CEV) from August through October 2021 and is the most likely cause of the reduction in the number of Common Carp.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Lake Benton, which is located near the Town of Lake Benton, was conducted on July 10 to August 1, 2025, by Area Fisheries staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Nearshore sampling captured nine species of fish including 6 species that are intolerant of disturbance and three species that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead, Common Carp, and Fathead Minnow). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a August 2025 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of Biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov web site. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Lake Benton is adversely impacted by stressors, as indicated by an FIBI score near/below the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings which indicated that Lake Benton is impaired for biological health/fully supporting aquatic life. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Redwood River watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Lake Benton by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Walleye, Pumpkinseed, Green Sunfish, and Yellow Perch in Benton. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Benton has a maximum depth of 9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Benton is from 2025.

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