Lake of the Hill

Lake of the Hill is a 111-acre lake, located in Lyon County near the City of Garvin. Historically, Lake of the Hill had been permitted to be used as a private aquaculture pond, because there was no established public access. Within the last several years, shore land was purchased and made into a Waterfowl Production Area owned by the US Fish and Wildlife Service; thereby creating public access. Since public access was established the private aquaculture permit was no longer granted and Lake of the Hill will be managed as a public water. This targeted survey was done to determine the structure of the fish community present in Lake of the Hill, which will help guide management decisions. A targeted survey was completed on July 14, 2022 using one gill net and two trap nets. Yellow Perch and Black Bullhead were the only two species of fish sampled in this survey. Lake of the Hill experienced a winterkill during the winter of 2022-2023 so the following information may not reflect what is currently in the lake. The Yellow Perch catch rate in Lake of the Hill in 2022 was 90.0 per gill net, which is high abundance when compared to other similar lakes. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 6.0 to 11.0 inches and averaged 8.1 inches. Yellow Perch 8.0 inches or larger comprised 53 percent of the gill netted Perch. The Black Bullhead catch rate in Lake of the Hill was 66.0 per gill net and 46.5 per trap net, which is slightly below average when compared to other similar lakes. Lengths of Black Bullhead averaged 7.5 inches, ranging from 4.0 to 13.1 inches. Lake of the Hill will be used as a Walleye rearing pond with the primary goal being production of fingerling Walleye for stocking in fingerling managed lakes. Walleye fry will be stocked annually in the spring of 2023 at a rate of 1,000 fry per littoral acre (110,000 Walleye). Secondary benefits of using Lake of the Hill as a Walleye pond often includes getting a picivorous predator in a system that controls Black Bullhead and Yellow Perch populations, and creates an angling opportunity for the public.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Yellow Perch in Lake of the Hill. 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 Lake of the Hill. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

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

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