Church

Carver County

Near Victoria

DOW: 10004600

Green SunfishGood · 63Black CrappieGood · 56Yellow PerchGood · 50

A 16-acre lake near Victoria in Carver County — best known for panfish and bass. Last surveyed 1994.

Fish Species (12)

Green Sunfish

Good · 63

Above-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

3.9"

Avg Weight

0.08 lbs

Catch rate: 12.9 per trap net · typical 0.3–2 for a lake like this

Size of catchable green sunfish7% keeper-size (7"+)

3–6" · 93%Largest sampled 7"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	12.89	3.9"	0.08 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1994	31.00	3.9"	0.03 lbs	Special trap nets

Black Crappie

Good · 56

Above-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

5.4"

Avg Weight

0.10 lbs

Catch rate: 100.2 per trap net · typical 1.8–18.1 for a lake like this

Size of catchable black crappie3% keeper-size (10"+)

5–9" · 97%Largest sampled 11"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	116.50	5.4"	0.11 lbs	Special trap nets
Aug 1, 1994	100.22	5.4"	0.10 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1984	8.00	-	0.28 lbs	Standard gill nets

Yellow Perch

Good · 50

Large fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

8.5"

Avg Weight

0.27 lbs

Catch rate: 0.22 per trap net · typical 0.3–1.5 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	0.22	8.5"	0.27 lbs	Standard trap nets

Largemouth Bass

Good · 50

Large fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

12.0"

Avg Weight

1.14 lbs

Catch rate: 0.11 per trap net · typical 0.3–0.8 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	0.11	12.0"	1.14 lbs	Standard trap nets

Northern Pike

Average · 47

Typical numbers · average-size fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Aug 1984

Last surveyed 1984 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

1.90 lbs

Catch rate: 5.0 per gill net · typical 2.5–7.9 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1984	0.67	-	0.65 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1984	5.00	-	1.90 lbs	Standard gill nets

Hybrid Sunfish

Average · 38

Typical numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

6.3"

Avg Weight

0.29 lbs

Catch rate: 0.56 per trap net

Size of catchable hybrid sunfish7% keeper-size (8"+)

3–7" · 93%Largest sampled 8"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	0.56	6.3"	0.29 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1994	4.50	6.3"	0.21 lbs	Special trap nets
Aug 3, 1978	1.00	-	0.13 lbs	Standard trap nets

Pumpkinseed

Poor · 11

Below-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

4.2"

Avg Weight

0.11 lbs

Catch rate: 0.44 per trap net · typical 0.8–5.3 for a lake like this

Size of catchable pumpkinseed0% keeper-size (8"+)

3–7" · 100%Largest sampled 5"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	0.44	4.2"	0.11 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1994	0.50	4.2"	0.04 lbs	Special trap nets

Bluegill

Poor · 3

Below-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

6.1"

Avg Weight

0.27 lbs

Catch rate: 1.0 per trap net · typical 6.5–59.6 for a lake like this

Size of catchable bluegill0% keeper-size (8"+)

3–7" · 100%Largest sampled 7"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	1.00	6.1"	0.27 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1984	2.00	-	0.30 lbs	Standard gill nets
Aug 1, 1984	91.33	-	0.17 lbs	Standard trap nets

Other species in this lake (4)

Rough fish, bullheads, and baitfish recorded in DNR surveys — present in the lake, but not typical angling targets.

Golden Shiner

Excellent · 90

Above-normal numbers · large fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Aug 1984

Last surveyed 1984 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.13 lbs

Catch rate: 31.0 per gill net · typical 0.7–3.9 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	6.11	5.9"	0.10 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1994	2.00	5.9"	-	Special trap nets
Aug 1, 1984	31.00	-	0.13 lbs	Standard gill nets

Black Bullhead

Good · 63

Above-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

6.5"

Avg Weight

0.07 lbs

Catch rate: 68.8 per trap net · typical 1.3–26 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	40.00	6.5"	-	Special trap nets
Aug 1, 1994	68.78	6.5"	0.07 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 1, 1984	41.00	-	0.22 lbs	Standard gill nets

Common Carp

Good · 62

Above-normal numbers · small fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Aug 1978

Last surveyed 1978 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.12 lbs

Catch rate: 47.0 per gill net · typical 0.5–4 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 3, 1978	3.33	-	0.12 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 3, 1978	47.00	-	0.12 lbs	Standard gill nets

Brown Bullhead

Average · 47

Typical numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1994

Last surveyed 1994 — treat with caution

Avg Size

8.5"

Avg Weight

0.39 lbs

Catch rate: 2.2 per trap net · typical 0.5–5.4 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 1, 1994	4.00	8.5"	-	Special trap nets
Aug 1, 1994	2.22	8.5"	0.39 lbs	Standard trap nets

See the best green sunfish lakes in Minnesota

Fishing Regulations

Statewide limits

Standard statewide Minnesota limits for the species in this lake.

Northern Pike

Season: May 9, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027

North-central zone

Angling: 10 (not more than 2 over 26". All from 22-26" must be immediatley released).

Largemouth Bass

Season: Mar 1, 2026 – May 22, 2026

Largemouth bass in the Southern and North-central zones

Catch-and-release only

Largemouth Bass

Season: May 23, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027

Largemouth bass in the Southern and North-central zones

6 combined total largemouth or smallmouth (when smallmouth season is open)

Crappie

10 combined total

Sunfish

20 combined total

Perch

20 daily and 40 in possession

More statewide rules (spearing, rough fish)

Northern Pike

Season: Nov 15, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027

North-central zone

Darkhouse spearing: 10 (only 1 between 22-26" and 1 over 26"; or, only 2 over 26").

Bowfin, buffalo, carp, carpsuckers, freshwater drum, goldeneye, redhorse, and suckers

no limit

Bullhead

100

This lake is near a regulation-zone boundary — verify the zone on the DNR map.

Biologist Notes

August 1, 1994Black crappies are very abundant in Church Lake. They are rather small in size though with an average length of six inches. Only 5% of the black crapp…

Black crappies are very abundant in Church Lake. They are rather small in size though with an average length of six inches. Only 5% of the black crappies sampled were over ten inches. The bluegill population is below average, but the mean weight per fish is above average when compared to similar lakes. The average length of the bluegills caught in the survey was 6.8 inches. Only one largemouth bass was captured. It weighed 1.13 pounds and was 12.7 inches long.

August 1, 1984GOLDEN SHINER, BLACK BULLHEAD, NORTHERN PIKE, BLUE GILL, AND BLACK CRAPPIE WERE FOUND AT ABOVE LOCAL MEDIAN LEVELS. CHURCH LAKE HAS A HISTORY OF WIN-…

GOLDEN SHINER, BLACK BULLHEAD, NORTHERN PIKE, BLUE GILL, AND BLACK CRAPPIE WERE FOUND AT ABOVE LOCAL MEDIAN LEVELS. CHURCH LAKE HAS A HISTORY OF WIN- TERKILL WHICH IS BORNE OUT BY THE SIMPLE SPECIES COMPLEX FOUND. REESTABLISHMENT OF FISH AFTER WIN- TERKILLS MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE CHANNEL CONNE- CTING CHURCH LAKE TO LAKE VICTORIA (STEIGER). CARP HAVE BEEN SAMPLED IN CHURCH LAKE IN PREVIOUS NETT- INGS.

August 3, 1978Bowfin, Carp, Hyb. Sunfish and Blk Bullhead were found in #'s hghr than lcl median (7 metro cties) in trapnet catches. Bluegill & Blk Crappies were fo…

Bowfin, Carp, Hyb. Sunfish and Blk Bullhead were found in #'s hghr than lcl median (7 metro cties) in trapnet catches. Bluegill & Blk Crappies were found in trapnets well blw the lcl median catch. Bluegills aged were all older fish (V annulus to VII annulus) Church Lk has had a history of wntrkl Borne out by hgh #'s of Blk Blhd pres and the rel. lack of Bluegills along with an apparent abs.-LMB

Frequently Asked Questions

What fish can you catch in Church?

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Green Sunfish, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike in Church. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Is there public access at Church?

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Church. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

How deep is Church?

Church has a maximum depth of 54 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

When were the main sport fish in Church last surveyed?

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Church is from 1994. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Does Church have any invasive species?

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

Are there special fishing regulations on Church?

No — Church has no lake-specific regulations in the 2026 Minnesota DNR regulations, so statewide Minnesota limits apply. The statewide sunfish limit is: 20 combined total. Verify current rules with the Minnesota DNR before keeping fish.