Sleepy Eye Lake

How big is Sleepy Eye Lake?

How deep is Sleepy Eye Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Sleepy Eye Lake?

What are the closest cities to Sleepy Eye Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Sleepy Eye Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Sleepy Eye Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Sleepy Eye Lake

Are there boat launches on Sleepy Eye Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Sleepy Eye Lake?

Sleepy Eye is a smaller sized lake (240 acres) located adjacent to the City of Sleepy Eye in Brown County. A large city-owned access with a double cement boat ramp is located on the north shore within the Sleepy Eye Sportsmen's Park. Sleepy Eye Lake has 4 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 21 feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Sleepy Eye is a class 38 lake and another similar lake in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area is Ripley Lake in Meeker County. A fishing pier is present at the park on the north side of the lake.

Sleepy Eye Lake is known as one of the best multi-species fisheries in Brown County and the 2021 netting results confirmed this. Walleye stocking resumed at Sleepy Eye Lake in 2012, but net catches were low in 2016. However, the Walleye catch jumped up dramatically in 2021, with high numbers of nice sized fish being sampled. Walleye averaged 21 inches in length with maximum length being 26 inches. Good numbers of Northern Pike were also netted, averaging 22 inches with maximum length of 33 inches. Big Largemouth Bass were also captured in the gill nets with fish just under 20 inches in length being taken. Black Crappie numbers were down a bit from previous surveys, and lengths were small. Sleepy Eye Lake is not known for its large crappies. Bluegill seemed plentiful, with many smaller sized fish captured. However, some Bluegill were slightly over 7 inches in length. Moderate numbers of Yellow Perch were encountered in the nets. Most of the perch were small, but a few reached 10 inches in length.

Other species that anglers may encounter at Sleepy Eye Lake include Black Bullhead and the very rare Channel Catfish.

People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Overharvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are typically moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters and lakeshore owners, and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all lake water from their boat and bait buckets before leaving the lake. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Hutchinson Area Fisheries office.

Are there any state parks near Sleepy Eye Lake?