First Fulda

First and Second Fulda Lakes, 179 and 60-acres, are class 43 lakes located in Murray County surrounded by the City of Fulda. A channel between the two basins maintains a connection throughout the year; therefore, they are managed as one lake. After several winters of severe winterkill prior to 2008, undesirable fish such as Common Carp and Black Bullhead were highly abundant in the lakes resulting in poor water quality and limited angling opportunities. As a result, a reclamation using rotenone was done in 2008 (following a partial draw down in 2007), in cooperation with the Fulda community, to "restart" the lakes. Over time with flooding, Common Carp and Black Bullhead got back into the system, but the abundant predator populations had kept them in check, resulting in clear water and dense vegetation in most years. In fact, the submergent vegetation was so dense that lakeshore owners expressed frustration due to the recreational conflict. During the winter of 2022-2023, dissolved oxygen levels in Fulda Lakes were below 0.7 parts per million for most of the winter, despite operating a surface water agitator type of aeration system. Several calls were received reporting a foul odor emanating from the aeration hole, and the presence of dead fish in the aeration hole, both an indication that a winterkill was occurring. Following the winterkill, Yellow Perch, Walleye fry and fingerlings, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Northern Pike were restocked to restore the fish community in Fulda Lakes. Fulda Lakes are managed primarily for Bluegill and Largemouth Bass and secondarily for Yellow Perch, Walleye, and Northern Pike. An electrofishing survey was conducted on 4 June 2024, to assess the restocking efforts. Seven species were sampled in 30 minutes of electrofishing, with 15 minutes in First Fulda and 15 minutes in Second Fulda Lakes. Largemouth Bass were most numerous with 57 individuals sampled (113.9 per hour electrofishing), followed by Yellow Perch with 32 (63.9 per hour), Bluegill with 19 (38.0 per hour), Black Crappie with 12 (24.0 per hour), Black Bullhead with 12 (24.0 per hour), Walleye with 11 (22.0 per hour), and Pumpkinseed Sunfish with 7 (14.0 per hour). Lengths of Largemouth Bass ranged from 5.2 to 16.2 inches with an average length of 6.4 inches. Largemouth Bass have good abundance and size distribution and do not appear to need additional stocking to re-establish. Bluegill ranged in length from 2.8 to 8.9 inches with an average length of 6.0 inches. It is apparent that a natural year class has already been produced from the stocked individuals with the presence of Bluegill less than 4 inches. Bluegills appear to be doing well and will not require additional stocking. Yellow Perch ranged in length from 5.6 to 7.6 inches with an average length of 6.7 inches. Yellow Perch also appear to have recovered well with the initial restocking and may not need additional stocking if reproduction is apparent during the next survey in 2027. Black Crappie ranged in length from 4.5 to 6.2 inches with an average length of 5.2 inches. Black Crappie abundance was good during the survey, but success of Black Crappie may be directly tied to Bluegill abundance into the future. It is quite possible that Black Crappie will be suppressed by Bluegill, and that is ok. Future management will focus on which "sunfish" species wins the battle and is best suited to the habitat. Black Crappie do well in clear or turbid water and Bluegill prefer clear water with vegetation. Lake habitat will determine which species "wins" the ability to sustain itself. Walleye ranged in length from 5.9 to 11.6 inches with an average length of 7.4 inches. Both fry and fingerling stocking appear to have been successful with a wide range of sizes present. Additional stocking will be needed to maintain the Walleye population as very little natural spawning habitat exists within First or Second Fulda Lakes for Walleye. Future sampling will gill nets in 2027 will determine the true relative abundance of Walleye and what anglers should expect to see in Fulda Lakes. Other species sampled that were not stocked were Black Bullhead and Pumpkinseed Sunfish. Black Bullhead most likely survived the winterkill event in low numbers and are now present. They ranged in length from 5.4 to 7.7 inches with an average length of 6.9 inches. It is possible that Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Walleye, and Northern Pike will eat young Black Bullhead and help reduce numbers. Pumpkinseed sunfish were most likely stocking unintentionally with Bluegill. Pumpkinseed Sunfish can hybridize with Bluegill and grow well. Pumpkinseed Sunfish will provide an additional opportunity for anglers. The Fulda Lakes appear to be recovering well from winterkill in 2022-2023 with good growth and reproduction of Bluegill and Largemouth Bass already occurring. Future monitoring may include targeted electrofishing in 2025 or 2026 with a standard gill net and trap net survey in 2027.

First and Second Fulda Lakes, 179 and 60-acres, are class 43 lakes located in Murray County surrounded by the City of Fulda. A channel between the two basins maintains a connection throughout the year; therefore, they are managed as one system. After several winters of severe winterkill, rough fish such as Common Carp and Black Bullhead were highly abundant in the lakes resulting in poor water quality and limited angling opportunities. As a result, a reclamation using rotenone was done in 2008 (following a partial draw down in 2007), in cooperation with the Fulda community, to "restart" the lakes. Over time, Common Carp and Black Bullhead got back into the system, but the abundant predator populations had kept them in check, resulting in clear water and dense vegetation in most years. During the winter of 2022-2023, dissolved oxygen levels in Fulda Lakes were below 0.7 parts per million for most of the winter, despite operating an aeration system. Several calls were received reporting a foul odor emanating from the aeration hole, and the presence of dead fish in the aeration hole, both an indication that a winterkill was occurring. Fulda Lakes are managed primarily for Largemouth Bass and Bluegill and secondarily for Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, and Walleye. A winterkill check was done in the spring of 2023 using electrofishing, gill netting, and trap netting to determine the extent of the kill at Fulda Lake. Electrofishing was conducted on April 24, 2023 on Fulda Lake, with no fish being sampled or observed during 10 minutes of on-time. A gill net and a trap net were deployed on May 4, 2023 because electrofishing did not sample fish. The gill net did not catch any fish and the trap net caught 102 Yellow Perch, which were likely from a Perch stocking (n=875) that was done on April 18, 2023. Fulda Lakes likely suffered a nearly total winterkill. Following the winterkill, Yellow Perch, Walleye fry and fingerlings, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Northern Pike were restocked to restore the fish community in Fulda Lakes.

INTRODUCTION First and Second Fulda Lakes, 179 and 60-acres, are located in Murray County and surrounded by the City bearing its name; Fulda. A channel between the two lakes maintains a connection throughout the year. After several winters of severe winterkill, rough fish such as Common Carp and Black Bullhead were highly abundant in the lakes resulting in poor water quality that limited angling opportunities. As a result, a reclamation using rotenone was done in 2008 (following a partial draw down in 2007), in cooperation with the Fulda community, to "restart" the lakes. In 2009, the lake was stocked with Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye, and in 2010 was stocked with Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch. Despite the reclamation and redesigned dam with an electric barrier, Common Carp and Black Bullhead have been sampled in Fulda Lakes, likely reentering the system from downstream during a 100 year high water event in the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011. However, their populations have been held in check by the abundant predator populations. Fulda Lakes are managed primarily for Largemouth Bass and Bluegill as well as Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, and Walleye. A standard survey was conducted the week of June 24, 2019 to monitor fish populations using 2 gill nets and 9 trap nets. Largemouth Bass were electrofished on May 28, 2019 to monitor their population. LARGEMOUTH BASS Daytime electrofishing resulted in 39 Largemouth Bass ranging in length from just over 3 inches to nearly 20 inches. The catch rate of 39 per hour was the lowest on record since 2011. It appears from the lengths of fish in the sample that there were more than 5 different year classes indicating good natural reproduction. The average length (12.8 inches) and weight (1.7 pounds) was good. The population appears to be dominated by adult fish with a PSD-Q of 93 and a PSD-P of 60. Some harvest of Largemouth Bass could be good to reduce the numbers of moderate sized adult fish. There should be decent fishing for Largemouth Bass over the next few years. BLUEGILL Bluegill were caught at a rate of 50.9 per trap net in 2019, the highest catch rate observed since reclamation in 2008. Additionally, the 2019 catch rate was greater than twice the interquartile range of 1.2 to 20.0 for class 43 lakes. The take home message here is that Fulda is loaded with Bluegills. Bluegill in the trap net sample ranged in length from 3.7 inches to 7.1 inches with an average length of 5.4 inches (PSD-Q of 19). When analyzing the length frequency distribution it is impossible to discern age groups. Overall, small size and clumped age groups indicates a potentially stunted Bluegill population. A predator was needed to reduce the number of small Bluegill in Fulda Lakes. Winter rescue adult Northern Pike were stocked in December of 2019 with the intention of increasing their abundance for anglers as well as providing a predator for stunted Bluegill. Bluegill should remain plentiful, however, it is preferred if the Northern Pike eliminate some fish in order to increase their maximum size and improve angler satisfaction. NORTHERN PIKE Three Northern Pike were caught in 2 gill nets in 2019. The fish were 20 inches, 25 inches, and 27 inches. Overall, the abundance of Northern Pike was down sharply from 2015 when 7 per gill net and 2.8 per trap net were caught. The 2019 catch rate was still in line with the long-term average of just under 1.5 per gill net, however, the long-term average includes the period of time with degraded habitat prior to the reclamation. Over 600 winter rescue adult Northern Pike from a northern Minnesota lake were stocked in December of 2019 to increase the abundance of Northern Pike. This is the most adult Northern Pike that we have ever stocked in Fulda Lakes at one time. Northern Pike angling opportunities should increase dramatically over the next several years. Fulda Lake is within the "southern zone" of the new Northern Pike zone regulations, which has a limit of two Pike that must be longer than 24 inches. Northern Pike under 24 inches must be released. YELLOW PERCH Seventy-seven Yellow Perch were caught in gill nets and trap nets. The gill net catch rate of 27.5 per net was just above the upper expected value of 25 for similar lakes. The trap net catch rate was within the expected range for similar lakes but trap net catch is not always indicative of abundance for Yellow Perch. Yellow Perch ranged in length from just under 5.5 inches to just over 8.5 inches with an average length of over 7 inches. There did not appear to be any change in health of the fish as they grew larger indicating good conditions for all ages of Yellow Perch. The population appears to be doing well and are at a length that should provide good angling in the next several years as well as providing food for top predators like Northern Pike and Walleye. WALLEYE Only a few Walleye were caught in the 2019 survey, 3 in the gill nets and 2 in the trap nets. Walleye fingerling are stocked every other year, and in years when extra fingerling are harvested each fall. Therefore, Walleye have been stocked in 7 out of 9 years since 2011 (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019). The length of Walleye in the gill and trap net samples ranged from 14.5 inches to just over 26.5 inches with an average near 18 inches. Large fish are present in Fulda Lakes and may help to keep Black Bullhead and small Common Carp numbers down due to predation. The actual number of Walleye in Fulda Lakes could be higher than what is seen in this survey due to the amount of submerged vegetation. When vegetation is abundant, Walleye typically move less and do not net as well as in lakes without vegetation. Fishing for Walleye could be good in Fulda Lakes, an opportunity to catch a large fish exists. OTHER SPECIES Other species sampled in Fulda Lakes in 2019 were Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, and Common Carp. All 3 species were caught at levels less than their expected ranges. This indicates that those species may be a low abundance and are not a significant member (in terms of pounds per acre) of the fish community

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Bluegill, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, and Green Sunfish in First Fulda. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

First Fulda has a maximum depth of 7 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in First Fulda is from 2019.

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