Eden

Eden Lake is located in south-central Stearns County, north of Eden Valley. It is the second in a series of lakes that outlet north to join the Sauk River Chain of Lakes. A large, mostly agricultural watershed (over 24,000 acres) drains into Eden Lake. The resulting nutrient load has resulted in impaired water quality, nuisance algal blooms, and occasional winterkills. Eden Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Walleye. The catch of Northern Pike in 2024 was similar to 2018 and exceeded the range of expected values for lakes similar to Eden Lake. Northern Pike ranged in length from 17.9 to 29.9 inches with an average length and weight of 23.5 inches and 3.0 pounds. Twenty-nine percent of Northern Pike sampled were longer than 26 inches. The Walleye population has been supported by fry stocking since 2001, as well as annual fingerling stocking by the Eden Valley Sportsmen's Club (2013 -present). The Walleye catch in 2024 increased from 2018 and was over two times the management goal. Walleye ranged in length from 9.5 to 26.1 inches with an average length and weight of 17.4 inches and 2.0 pounds. Seventy-six percent of the walleye sampled in the 2024 survey came from the 2019, 2020, or 2021 year classes. Eden Lake has historically supported a high population of Yellow Perch. Yellow Perch catch rates in 2024 were lower than previous surveys and the lowest on record but remain within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Eden. Yellow Perch ranged in length from 4.9 to 8.4 inches with an average length of 6.0 inches. Yellow Perch do not appear to reach a size favored by most anglers, but they provide an abundant source of forage for large predators. The Black Crappie catch increased significantly from 2018 and was above the range of what is expected for lakes like Eden. Black Crappie sampled ranged in length from 3.9 to 11.3 inches with an average length of 5.2 inches. Most Black Crappie captured were under 5.0 inches in length, indicating a strong year class that will be seen in harvestable sizes in coming years. Other fish species sampled included: Black Bullhead, Bluegill, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, and Pumpkinseed. No Channel Catfish were sampled in 2024.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Eden Lake was conducted on August 6-7, 2018 by Fisheries Lake IBI program staff. Sampling stations 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. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 stations. A 50-foot seine was used to sample seven stations and a 15-foot seine was used to sample three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 16 native species of fish including one species that is intolerant of habitat disturbance (Iowa Darter) and one tolerant species (Green Sunfish). Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with data from standard gill and trap netting surveys to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) that describes the overall health of the lake. 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. 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. The FIBI score for Eden Lake based on this survey is below the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Sauk River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Eden Lake is located in south central Stearns County, north of Eden Valley. It is the second in a series of lakes that outlet north to join the Sauk River Chain of Lakes. A large, mostly agricultural watershed (over 24,000 acres) drains into Eden Lake. The resulting nutrient load has resulted in impaired water quality, nuisance algal blooms, and occasional winterkills. Eden Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Walleye. The catch of Northern Pike in 2018 increased from 2013 and exceeded the range of expected values for lakes similar to Eden Lake. Northern Pike ranged in length from 19.8 to 38.3 inches and averaged 26.5 inches and 4.5 pounds. Seventy seven percent of Northern Pike sampled were longer than 24 inches. The Walleye population has been supported by fry stocking since 2001 as well as annual fingerling stocking by the Eden Valley Sportsmen's Club (2013 - present). The Walleye catch in 2018 decreased from 2013, but was within the expected range for lakes similar to Eden. Walleye ranged in length from 12.8 to 26.2 inches and averaged 19.6 inches and 2.3 pounds. Largemouth Bass were sampled by day time electrofishing in mid May. The population appeared to be higher than average for this area of the state. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 6.6 to 19.6 inches and averaged 12.1 inches. Eden Lake has consistently supported a high population of Yellow Perch. Yellow Perch catch rates were similar to previous surveys and remain above the range of expected values for lakes like Eden. Perch don't appear to reach a size favored by most anglers, but they provide an abundant source of forage for Northern Pike and Walleye. The trap net catch of Black Crappie decreased from 2013 and was below the expected range for lakes similar to Eden; however the gill net catch increased significantly from 2013. Black Crappie ranged in length from 6.3 to 9.8 inches with an average length of 8.5 inches. The catch rate of Bluegill was similar to 2013 and within the range of expected values. Bluegill sampled ranged in length from 3.1 to 9.1 inches with an average length of 5.6 inches. Channel catfish were sampled in low abundance (1.8/gill net), but above average in size. Channel Catfish ranged in length from 26.1 to 33.9 inches with an average length of 30 inches. Other fish species sampled included: Black, Brown, and Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.

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

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

Eden has a maximum depth of 77 feet and a mean depth of 18.6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Eden is from 2024.

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