Cross Lake Reservoir
Crow Wing County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 18031200
DNR records show 22 stocking entries at Cross Lake Reservoir since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (880,000 fish).
- Cross Lake Reservoir has 22 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (22).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 7,987,557 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 84 ft; surface area 1,815 acres, 879 littoral acres, 21.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 16.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, and 9 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Crow Wing County, nearest town Cross Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 18031200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/15/1960 (topo map/drg); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 8.1 |
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 3,250 | 1,082.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 7.9 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,597 | 191.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 938 | 57.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 7.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 34,372 | 754.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,146 | 143.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 8.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 939 | 148.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 7.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 15,200 | 475.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 380 | 367.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 3,004 | 1,087.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 7.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,668 | 124.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 7.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 880,000 | 7.8 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 951 | 1,151.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,103 | 114.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,009 | 525.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Army Corps of Engineers | North shore of bay north of dam at Corps of Engineers campground. |
| concrete ramp | Army Corps of Engineers | East shore on northwest corner of Corps of Engineers campground. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Southwest side of lake off West Shore Drive. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 0.50 | 1 | 0.80 |
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.
Walleyes have been stocked into Cross Lake on a regular basis since 1948. The current management plan calls for annual fry stocking at a rate of 1,000/littoral acre (880,000 fry) and fingerling stockings in even numbered years at a rate of 1 pound per littoral acre (880 pounds). Night electrofishing was done on September 23rd, 2024, to monitor the abundance of young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleyes. The total sample time was 2 hours in which no YOY Walleyes caught. Past catch rates of YOY Walleyes have been as high as 6.5 fish/hour. One non-YOY Walleye was sampled measuring 13.6".
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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