Knaus Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73008600
Knaus Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Knaus Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 20 ft, mean depth 6 ft; surface area 216 acres, 202 littoral acres, 4.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, greater redhorse, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Cold Spring; DNR lake number (DOW) 73008600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/25/1992 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| C | UKN | - No public access; however the lake can be reached by navigable channels from Krays Lake and the Sauk River (from Cold Spring). |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 58.32 | 44 | 0.68 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 1.33 | 1 | 1.95 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 53.00 | 106 | 0.08 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 35.50 | 71 | 0.10 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 16.00 | 32 | 0.18 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 13.50 | 27 | 0.14 |
| Greater redhorse | Standard gill nets | 12.50 | 25 | 2.59 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 10.50 | 21 | 3.95 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 20 | 1.71 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 7.50 | 15 | 0.57 |
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.
The Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL) is located in south-central Stearns County, near the city of Richmond. A dam built in the early 1900's on the Sauk River in Cold Spring created the SRCL a reservoir consisting of nine lakes and approximately 3,200 acres of water. The Sauk River drains a large portion of central Minnesota before flowing through the SRCL and ultimately influences water quality trends within the SRCL. Although non-point source pollution continues to be a concern, some major contributors of nutrient loading, such as municipal wastewater discharge, were greatly reduced in the 1980's and 1990's. Efforts continue to be made to address the existing non-point pollution sources and improve the water quality within SRCL. Zebra mussels were found within the SRCL in 2018, and Eurasian watermilfoil was found in Horseshoe Lake in 2021. Anglers are encouraged to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) by cleaning, draining, and drying all equipment used in infested waters. The SRCL is managed for Walleye, Muskellunge, and Channel Catfish and a targeted survey was conducted in 2024 using boat electrofishing and gillnets to update data on popular game species last collected in 2021. To provide a larger sample size, all lakes east of County Rd 71 (Zumwalde, Schneider, Great Northern, Krays, Knaus, and Bolfing; SRCL East Lakes) were combined for the analysis and will be referred to as the East Lakes in this report. Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass were surveyed during the daytime using boat electrofishing from May 13 to May 17, 2024. The Largemouth Bass catch increased (29/hr) while Smallmouth Bass catch decreased (2/hr) compared to the results from the 2018 survey (20/hr and 7/hr). The catch results from 2024 were below the management goal for daytime electrofishing (50/hr) and the lowest on record for Smallmouth Bass. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from three to 19 inches with an average length of 9.2, while Smallmouth Bass ranged in length from 12 to 19 inches with an average length of 17 inches. Despite the poor sampling numbers, the SRCL remains a popular bass fishing destination. Walleye is one of the primary management species within the SRCL. The catch of Walleye in the East Lakes in 2024 (2.5/net) was lower than 2018 (4.2/net), but similar to the long-term average for the East Lakes (2.4/net) and within the ranged of expected values for similar lakes. Walleye ranged in length from nine to 22 inches, with an average length and weight of 16 inches and 1.6 pounds. Anglers can expect decent fishing for eater sized walleye as 65%…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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