McKay

McKay Lake is a 167-acre lake located in Lyon County near the City of Balaton. The lake has a maximum depth of 11.0 ft. Prior to 2025 there had been no fish surveys conducted on McKay Lake, but anglers periodically had reported good Yellow Perch angling. Lyons WMA is located on the northeast shore of McKay Lake and historically had carry in access. In 2025 DNR Wildlife and Parks and Trails improved the access by installing a gravel driveway and parking area and installing concrete planks into the water. A targeted survey was done on 8/28/2025 to determine the kind and extent of fish populations in McKay Lake using one gill net and two trap nets (0.5 and 0.75 in mesh). The nets sampled three species of fish including Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Brown Bullhead, and Yellow Perch. The Yellow Perch catch rate was 15.0 per gill net, which is likely sufficient to reproduce and generate a year class. Three year classes of Yellow Perch were present in the sample including age-1, age-2, and age-3 fish. Yellow Perch lengths ranged from 4.0 to 12.3 inches and averaged 8.9 inches (PSD=82, PSD-P=65, PSD-M=29). Yellow Perch were very healthy as relative weight was 107, suggesting that prey is abundant. Barring any winterkill events, Yellow Perch should continue to do well in McKay Lake. Brown Bullhead dominated the bullhead catch as they were sampled at rate of 8.5 per trap net and 53.0 per gill net. Black Bullhead were present but scarce with a catch rate of 3.0 per trap net. Lengths of Brown Bullhead ranged from 5.1 to 15.0 inches and averaged 10.4 inches (PSD=88, PSD-P=43, PSD-M=2). Adult Black Crappie were not sampled; however, a strong year class of 2.6 to 5.0 inch Black Crappie were abundant with catch rates of 11.0 per trap net and 28.0 per gill net. Crappies were plump, indicated by mean relative weight of 124, suggesting that prey is not limited. Consideration should be given to stocking a top level predator such as Northern Pike to maintain the desirable size structure of Yellow Perch and the low abundance of bullheads in this system. Improved public access to this lake may alter fish populations through angler harvest, thus a standard survey should be done in 4 to 6 years to monitor changes in the fish populations.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie and Yellow Perch in McKay. 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 McKay. 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 McKay is from 2025.

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