Twin

Twin (DOW# 77-0021-00; Lake Class 43) is a 120-acre lake located near Grey Eagle. The lake has 3.76 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 43 feet. Twin can be characterized as a wetland complex with about 50 acres of open water habitat suitable for fish management. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources owned public boat access is located on the east shore of the lake. Twin is managed primarily for Bluegill and Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike and Black Crappie. The lake experienced a severe winterkill in the winter of 2022-2023. Partial winterkills are not uncommon in the lake, but an impactful event had not been recorded since the 1990s. In 2025 survey was conducted to assess the effects of the winterkill as well as any success of subsequent Walleye stocking. Northern Pike was the most abundant gamefish encountered in 2025. A total of 16 were captured in the gillnet, which ranged in length from 10 to 22.6 inches and averaged 15.8 inches. Fish exceeding 30 inches were observed in prior gillnet surveys (1996 and 2021). The lake also appeared to have a higher number of Northern Pike than were seen in prior surveys. These two factors suggest to staff that the winterkill affected the adult Northern Pike population heavily. The species is generally considered resistant to these events, so these effects indicate a severe winterkill. Pumpkinseed and Green Sunfish were the only sunfish species observed in 2025, with Pumpkinseed being the more abundant of the two species. These fish measured up to 5.3 inches, not large enough to be of interest to most anglers. No Bluegill or Black Crappie were captured in 2025. One Walleye measuring 11.97 inches was observed in 2025. Walleye stocking began in 2022, so they have not been observed previously in the lake. Recent stocking efforts following the winterkill appear to have had limited success, which may have been influenced by multiple factors. These factors are related to the effects of the recent winterkill on Twin's fish community. Since the lake may become more hospitable to juvenile Walleye in the future as the lake normalizes, Walleye fry will continue to be stocked in even numbered years. The recovery of Twin and the success of Walleye stocking will be monitored in future assessments. Other species observed in the 2025 assessment were Black Bullhead, Yellow Perch, Yellow Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, and Central Mudminnow.

Twin Lake is a 120-acre basin located about a mile north-northeast of Grey Eagle. Some maps will show the lake as three distinct basins, however the eastern most basin (location of public access) contains about 30 acres of open water and is all that's available for fishing. The rest of the basin is a mix of dense cattail and other vegetation. There is a small gravel road off Highway 28 that can be used to access the lake. This survey used two gill nets and four trap nets to sample open-water habitat and shallow, near-shore habitat, respectively. Species found were Northern Pike (total of 10), Black Crappie (total of 47) and Bluegill (total of 158). Crappies and Bluegill were small to average in size, with lengths ranging 6.1-10.4 and 5.4-8.5 inches, respectively. Most crappies were age 5 which, being less than 10 inches, is considered slow growth. Northern Pike lengths ranged from 13.2-31.5 inches. Most pike exceeded 26 inches. Due to the relatively low abundance of competing predators such as Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass and low risk of winterkill, Walleye fry will be stocked in 2022 in an effort to establish a fishery for this species. Other species caught during this survey include (in order of abundance) Pumpkinseed, Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Yellow Bullhead, and Golden Shiner.

Twin Lake is a shallow, cattail filled basin with a small portion being deep enoughto support fish. Water quality during the survey was poor due to an algae bloom. The lake is subject to annual summer algae blooms and occasional partialwinterkills. The fish community reflects the water quality, being dominated byspecies tolerant of turbid water and low oxygen. Black bullheads were the mostnumerous fish sampled in the nets, averaging seven inches in length. The northernpike population does show some desirable characteristics with nearly two fish pergillnet and the presence of individuals over 34 inches in length. The bluegillssampled (8 fish) were either small, less than five inches or quality fish overeight inches. Black crappies averaged seven inches, with one over eleven inchesbeing caught. Yellow perch are present in low numbers. Additional species sampledin the lake were bowfin, brown bullheads, pumpkinseed sunfish, and yellowbullheads.On a lake this size, angling could easily effect the size structure of thebluegill, black crappies, and northern pike populations. Releasing the larger fishwill help maintain a balanced fish community. Better land use practices aredesirable to improve water quality in the lake.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Bluegill, Walleye, Hybrid Sunfish, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike in Twin. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Twin has a maximum depth of 43 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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