Little Vanose Lake
Mahnomen County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 44016900
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Little Vanose Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (132,234 fish).
- Little Vanose Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 660,234 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 28 ft; surface area 143 acres, 131 littoral acres, 2.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, walleye.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Mahnomen County, nearest town Bejou; DNR lake number (DOW) 44016900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/28/1978 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 132,234 | 1.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 132,000 | 1.1 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 132,000 | 1.1 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 132,000 | 1.1 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 132,000 | 1.1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | Minnesota DNR | State-owned land with boat ramp consisting of 1-2-inch rock on north shore. |
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | Public access on SE shore. - Public access. Hard to use due to low water levels. |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 132.00 | 132 | 0.34 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 18.00 | 18 | 0.54 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 10.00 | 10 | 0.82 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 22.44 | 202 | 0.40 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.89 | 35 | 0.19 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.52 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.78 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.83 |
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.
Little Vanose is a 144-acre, class 39 lake located in north central Mahnomen County. Maximum depth of this fertile lake is 28 feet and it is subject to occasional winterkill. Most recently, the lake experienced winterkills of unknown severity in 2013 and 2014. This lake is considered eutrophic with a mean Carlson's trophic state index in the fifties. In addition to frequent winterkills, there was a heavy summerkill during the summer of 1993 as a result of a heavy blue-green algal die-off after several consecutive days of hot, still weather. The north, west, and south shorelines are primarily state-owned, as part of the Vanose WMA. Historically, the fishery in Little Vanose has been dominated by Black Bullheads. The fish caught during the 2017 survey were typical of a lake which experiences significant winterkills. Only one gill net was used during this survey due to the extreme number of Walleye caught. The Walleye catch rate was 132 fish per net. Only Black Bullhead and Largemouth Bass were the other species caught in gill nets. Hybrid Sunfish and Pumpkinseed Sunfish were also caught in trap nets. The Hybrid Sunfish capture is intriguing as it was only one large individual and there were no other sunfish species sampled to create a hybrid other than Pumpkinseed. Despite suspected severe winterkills in 2013 and 2014, all of the caught Walleye were from the 2013 year-class. The winterkill in 2014 appears to not have been severe enough to kill off the large 2013 year-class of Walleye. The success of this year-class has likely suppressed the successive Walleye fry stockings. Interestingly, all of the Largemouth Bass were from the 2014 year-class. What is unknown is whether some brood fish remained through the 2013 winterkill or some non-permitted stocking occurred in 2014. Length frequencies of the Black Bullhead and Pumpkinseed Sunfish suggest only one year-class is also present of these. The extended winter of 2017-2018 likely will result in some extent of winterkill in Little Vanose Lake. Assessments completed after the publication of this report will aid in determining the amount of winterkill and future management of the Lake.
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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