Lake Mendota (Dane County)
Waterbody ID (WBIC): 805400 — permanent page /lakes/805400/.
Lake Mendota is in Dane County; records show 9,781 acres and 11 DNR access-site records.
- Size
- 9,781 acres
- Lake type
- DRAINAGE
- Max depth
- 83 ft
- Mean depth
- 42 ft
- 11 documented public access site records (DNR access inventory)
- 8 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
- Fish stocking documented through 2024 (DNR stocking records)
- Summer Secchi clarity median 4.5 ft (field measurements)
- Official DNR depth map available (PDF)
Back to results Show on map Choose access / Directions Depth map (PDF) Check current DNR regulations
Plan your visit
- Lake directory: public landing — Yes
- Lake directory: public beach — Yes
- Lake directory: public park — Yes
- DNR public-access inventory: 11 documented access site records
- DNR public-access inventory: documented developed boat ramp
- DNR public-access inventory: documented carry-in access
- DNR public-access inventory: 1 shore-fishing site record
- 12 sites qualify for per-site Directions through the reviewed lake association (load the site details below)
Each statement is bounded to its named source; absence of a record is never evidence of no access. The DNR access database may lag reality; posted signs at the landing are authoritative.
Verify at the DNR public boat access program page.
Documented public access sites — load details
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Fishing
The DNR lake page publishes 8 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.
DNR fish labels: Panfish—Abundant; Catfish—Common; Largemouth Bass—Common; not population counts.
Stocking records: 93 documented events through 2024, 153,029,831 fish total. Species: Walleye (Frequent), Northern Pike (Rare), Bluegill (Historic), Muskellunge And Hybrids (Historic), Largemouth Bass (Historic). Events in 2015 or later count as recent.
No fisheries survey population estimate is published for this lake in the covered report families.
Fishing limits — 2026-2027 season: 17 normalized rows across 17 species entries. Normalized from the DNR ruleset retrieved 2026-08-04. Source text remains authoritative.
Fish species and abundance detail — load details
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Detailed stocking history — load details
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2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 17 published rows for 17 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.
Normalized fishing-regulation rows — load details
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Water and setting
- Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 4.5 ft from 26 samples, latest sample 2022-08-12
- Satellite clarity estimate: 7.27 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.
- AIS record: Chinese mystery snail — Verified, latest documented 2024-09-04
- AIS record: Curly-leaf pondweed — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2015-06-08
- AIS record: Eurasian watermilfoil — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 1962-07-05
- AIS record: Japanese knotweed — Verified, latest documented 2024-05-02
- AIS record: Rusty crayfish — Verified, latest documented 2024-09-04
- AIS record: Spiny water flea — Verified, latest documented 2009-09-25
- AIS record: Water lettuce — Historical — no longer observed, latest documented 2015-07-31
- AIS record: Zebra mussel — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2017-10-23
Occurrence records come from a non-exhaustive DNR inventory; a record documents presence at observation time and a missing record is never evidence of absence.
- Public-land proximity (GIS proxy, not access evidence): mapped public land within 1,000 ft; nearest: Governor Nelson State Park (Wisconsin DNR); ≈35.7% of shoreline buffer
- Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈76.8% developed land within 300 m, ≈26.8% impervious
- Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈0 m; ≈9.1 km of road per km² within 1 km
Measured and satellite clarity records — load details
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Aquatic invasive species records — load details
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Data & sources
Published data families
- Fish species and abundance (DNR lake pages)
- Fish stocking history
- Fishing regulations (normalized snapshot)
- Directory access facts (landing, beach, park)
- Public access site inventory
- Satellite water clarity estimate
- Field-measured Secchi clarity
- Aquatic invasive species occurrences
Original records: Wisconsin DNR lake page.
Missing values are unpublished, never zero; each fact above is bounded to its named source and date. Full sourcing detail: Data & methods.