Alruss Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69000500
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Alruss Lake since 2016, most recently brook trout fingerlings in 2025 (1,900 fish).
- Alruss Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): brook trout (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is brook trout: 16,952 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 48 ft; surface area 28 acres, 14 littoral acres, 1.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: brook trout, white sucker.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Ely; DNR lake number (DOW) 69000500.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 1,900 | 75.9 |
| 2024 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 1,900 | 38.6 |
| 2023 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 1,900 | 45.4 |
| 2022 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 1,600 | 57.4 |
| 2021 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 1,900 | 50.0 |
| 2020 | Brook Trout | fingerlings | 1,900 | 84.7 |
| 2018 | Brook Trout8 | fingerlings | 2,052 | 42.2 |
| 2017 | Brook Trout8 | fingerlings | 1,900 | 31.2 |
| 2016 | Brook Trout8 | yearlings | 1,900 | 76.0 |
8 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| PO | USF | 90 rod portage from pond between Mudro and Fourtown - Not on most maps |
| PO | USF | 100 rod portage from Sandpit Lake. - Light use and difficult to find |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brook trout | Standard gill nets | 14.00 | 28 | 0.70 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 5 | 0.58 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Alruss is a 28-acre designated stream trout lake located nine miles north of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The lake has light green water and provides excellent trout habitat. It sits perched on the landscape and is surrounded by a mature forest of pine with a hardwood understory. Fall colors can be exceptional. No U.S. Forest Service campsites are present, but a few spots suitable for lunch exist. Brook trout are currently stocked annually. Access to Alruss is by a 90-rod portage east of the pond between Mudro and Fourtown lakes. It is not officially maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and can be rather discrete. Winter anglers should take caution on the pond. Current in this area often leads to unsafe ice conditions, and the steep shoreline can complicate overland bypass. A 100-rod portage formerly existed from Sandpit Lake, but a few mossy sawn logs are all that remained as of 2024. Reclamation to nature is effectively complete. The 2024 survey consisted of two gillnet sets. Brook trout abundance (14/net) was the highest on record for Alruss. Lengths ranged from seven to 14.5 inches with an average of 12 inches, which was identical to the lake average. Fish from at least two years of stocking events were present. Trout stomach contents were composed almost entirely of chironomid midges.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.