Josephine Lake

Ramsey County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 62005700

DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Josephine Lake since 2019, most recently walleye fry in 2019 (300,000 fish).

• Josephine Lake has 2 DNR stocking records across 1 year (2019-2019): walleye (2).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 302,300 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 44 ft; surface area 116 acres, 81 littoral acres, 1.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.8 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 8, 2024 (targeted survey).
• Ramsey County, nearest town Roseville; DNR lake number (DOW) 62005700.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/13/1962 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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.

Lake Josephine is a eutrophic, class 30 lake located in Ramsey County. The Lake is 116 acres in surface area, with 81 acres being littoral (69.8%). The primary management species in Josephine Lake is Bluegill, and the secondary management species is Walleye. The lake is bordered by the cities of Roseville and Arden Hills. Much of the lakeshore is developed as single family, suburban housing. Ramsey County operates a park on the east end of the lake which contains a popular swimming beach, fishing pier, picnic area, and a small boat access. Walleye fry were stocked annually from 1997-2000. Fry stocking was unsuccessful, and management was changed to stock Walleye fingerlings in 2001. Walleye stocking was evaluated in 2017 and the lake was moved from yearly stocking to surplus stocking when available due to continued lack of success in developing a fishery. This report details the most recent gill net survey conducted in July of 2024. The previous gill net survey occurred in July of 2012. Walleye were sampled using gill nets at a rate of 2.8 fish per net. This catch rate is above average for the lake class and is the highest Walleye catch rate ever recorded for Lake Josephine. Fish size was also above average for the lake class, with an average length of 19.9 inches. Walleye lengths ranged from 17.4 to 23.1 inches. Of the 10 Walleye that were aged, 7 were age 5 and 3 were age 9. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 11.0 fish per gill net. This catch rate exceeds the 75th percentile for the lake class and is consistent with the lake's history. Fish size was below average for the lake class, as average length was just 21.3 inches. Northern Pike ranged from 14.7 to 29.2 inches in length. Although Bluegill is the primary management species for Lake Josephine, only 3 were captured in this survey. Gill nets are not the preferred sampling method to monitor Bluegill. Sportfish including Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie were also sampled in lower numbers; however, summer gill nets are not the optimal sampling gear to reliably estimate abundance or size structure for these species. Only 1 Yellow Perch was sampled in this gill net survey. Other fish species were sampled in low numbers including Brown Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 8, 2024.

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