James Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69073400
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at James Lake since 2016, most recently rainbow trout fingerlings in 2025 (1,500 fish).
- James Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 15,005 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 33 ft; surface area 18 acres, 14 littoral acres, 0.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: largemouth bass, rainbow trout.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Virginia; DNR lake number (DOW) 69073400.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 120.0 |
| 2024 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 150.0 |
| 2023 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 115.4 |
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 93.8 |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 250.0 |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,505 | 293.4 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 125.0 |
| 2018 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 125.0 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 81.1 |
| 2016 | Rainbow Trout | fingerlings | 1,500 | 100.0 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Adjacent to old Hwy 53 (Co Rd. 106). - Parking for approx. five vehicles w/ trailers. Steep downhill grade from roadway to lake. Water levels have been quite low lately so deep end of ramp may or may not be in the water. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 126.92 | 110 | 0.67 |
| Rainbow trout | Standard gill nets | 15.00 | 15 | 0.85 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 2.50 | 10 | 0.61 |
| Northern redbelly dace | 1/4-in trap nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Rainbow trout | 1/4-in trap nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.30 |
| DAR | 1/4-in trap nets | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
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.
James Lake, better known as Jammer Lake, is a designated stream trout lake located 11 miles north of the city of Virginia. The access is via a concrete ramp off of old Hwy 53, now Co Rd 106. This 17-acre lake has a maximum depth of 33.0 feet and green water at the time of this survey due to a heavy pollen load. On May 28, 2024, Jammer Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 61 F and a bottom temperature of 46 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for trout to a depth of 21.0 feet where the water temperature was 48 F. The lake contains no inlets or outlets and its shoal-water substrates are mostly muck and sand. Aquatic vegetation is generally quite sparse. Presently, rainbow trout fingerlings are stocked annually in the fall at a rate of around 90/surface acre or 1,500 fish. Fifteen rainbow trout were caught in one gillnet for a catch rate of 15.0 fish/net with a yield of 12.8 pounds/net. Both values were above average for the lake. This yield ranked second when compared to other recent surveys of rainbow trout lakes in the Tower area. Lengths ranged from 9 to almost 17 inches with an average of 12.5 inches. Sizes indicate at least two year-classes were represented. Electrofishing was used for the second time to assess the largemouth bass population on Jammer Lake. On the night of May 30, the entire shoreline was sampled. One-hundred ten largemouth bass were captured for a catch rate of 126.9 fish/hour of on-time. This ranks as the third-highest catch rate of the most recent electrofishing surveys in Tower area lakes. Lengths ranged from 3 to 20 inches with an average of just over 10 inches, and an average weight of 0.6 pounds. Growth was slow with the average fish taking four years to reach six inches long.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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