Little Elbow

Marshall County

Near Elbow Lake Village

DOW: 44001100

Hybrid SunfishExcellent · 96Green SunfishExcellent · 78PumpkinseedGood · 68

A 168-acre lake near Elbow Lake Village in Marshall County — best known for panfish and pike. Last surveyed 1987.

Fish Species (13)

Hybrid Sunfish

Excellent · 96

Above-normal numbers

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.05 lbs

Catch rate: 2.8 per trap net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	2.75	-	0.05 lbs	Standard trap nets

Green Sunfish

Excellent · 78

Above-normal numbers · average-size fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1977

Last surveyed 1977 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.18 lbs

Catch rate: 1.9 per trap net · typical 0.2–1.2 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 18, 1977	1.88	-	0.18 lbs	Standard trap nets

Pumpkinseed

Good · 68

Above-normal numbers · average-size fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.10 lbs

Catch rate: 23.0 per trap net · typical 1.5–9.1 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	5.00	-	0.07 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jul 23, 1987	23.00	-	0.10 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 18, 1977	13.50	-	0.11 lbs	Standard trap nets

Black Crappie

Good · 65

Above-normal numbers · average-size fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.12 lbs

Catch rate: 13.5 per gill net · typical 0.8–8.4 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	8.00	-	0.15 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 23, 1987	13.50	-	0.12 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jul 18, 1977	0.50	-	0.38 lbs	Standard gill nets

Northern Pike

Good · 62

Typical numbers · average-size fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

2.38 lbs

Catch rate: 5.3 per gill net · typical 2.3–9.2 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	5.25	-	2.38 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jul 23, 1987	0.62	-	0.68 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 18, 1977	2.00	-	3.56 lbs	Standard gill nets

Bluegill

Good · 59

Above-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.07 lbs

Catch rate: 137.1 per trap net · typical 5.9–43.3 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	17.00	-	0.06 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jul 23, 1987	137.12	-	0.07 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 18, 1977	0.25	-	0.62 lbs	Standard trap nets

Yellow Perch

Good · 53

Below-normal numbers · large fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jul 1977

Last surveyed 1977 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.30 lbs

Catch rate: 2.0 per gill net · typical 3.7–28.4 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	2.88	-	0.09 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 18, 1977	0.62	-	0.10 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 18, 1977	2.00	-	0.30 lbs	Standard gill nets

Largemouth Bass

Average · 35

Small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.26 lbs

Catch rate: 1.8 per trap net · typical 0.3–1 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	1.75	-	0.26 lbs	Standard trap nets

Walleye

Poor · 19

Below-normal numbers · small fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.65 lbs

Catch rate: 0.5 per gill net · typical 1.2–5.3 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	0.50	-	0.65 lbs	Standard gill 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.

Yellow Bullhead

Good · 52

Typical numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.40 lbs

Catch rate: 7.3 per trap net · typical 2.4–9.1 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	0.75	-	0.37 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jul 23, 1987	7.25	-	0.40 lbs	Standard trap nets

White Sucker

Good · 51

Typical numbers · small fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.83 lbs

Catch rate: 3.0 per gill net · typical 0.5–3.3 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	3.00	-	0.83 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jul 23, 1987	0.50	-	1.12 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 18, 1977	1.00	-	1.19 lbs	Standard gill nets

Brown Bullhead

Average · 34

Typical numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.23 lbs

Catch rate: 0.75 per trap net · typical 0.6–5.2 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	0.75	-	0.23 lbs	Standard trap nets

Black Bullhead

Average · 33

Below-normal numbers · average-size fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jul 1987

Last surveyed 1987 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.26 lbs

Catch rate: 0.62 per trap net · typical 1–29.9 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jul 23, 1987	1.00	-	0.17 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jul 23, 1987	0.62	-	0.26 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jul 18, 1977	7.25	-	0.24 lbs	Standard gill nets

See the best hybrid sunfish lakes in Minnesota

Fishing Regulations

Statewide limits

Standard statewide Minnesota limits for the species in this lake.

Walleye and Sauger

Season: May 9, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027

6 combined, not more than one walleye over 20"

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

Biologist Notes

July 23, 1987BLUEGILL DOMINATE THE FISH POPULATION STRUCTURE WITH NEARLY 140/TRAP NET SET. BLUEGILL APPEAR TO BE STUNTED WITH THE LENGTH MODE BEING APPROXIMATE- LY…

BLUEGILL DOMINATE THE FISH POPULATION STRUCTURE WITH NEARLY 140/TRAP NET SET. BLUEGILL APPEAR TO BE STUNTED WITH THE LENGTH MODE BEING APPROXIMATE- LY 4.2 STATE AND LOCAL MEDIANS WITH A VARIETY OF SIZES WHICH WOULD INDICATE ADEQUATE NATURAL REPRODUCTION BLACK CRAPPIE WERE ALSO QUITE PREVALENT BUT ALSO ARE OF A RELATIVELY SMALL SIZE. YELLOW BULLHEADS DOMINATE THE ROUGH FISH SPECIES WITH WHITE SUCKERS ALSO ABOVE STATE AND LOCAL AVERAGES.

July 18, 1977Population low for all species except Pumpkinseeds and Grn Sunfish.

Population low for all species except Pumpkinseeds and Grn Sunfish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fish can you catch in Little Elbow?

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

Is there public access at Little Elbow?

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

How deep is Little Elbow?

Little Elbow has a maximum depth of 18 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

When were the main sport fish in Little Elbow last surveyed?

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Elbow is from 1987. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Does Little Elbow have any invasive species?

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

Are there special fishing regulations on Little Elbow?

No — Little Elbow 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.