Little Vermilion Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69060800
Little Vermilion Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Little Vermilion Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 52 ft; surface area 1,288 acres, 231 littoral acres, 37.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, burbot, cisco species, mooneye, muskellunge, northern pike, redhorse, rock bass, sauger, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Crane Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 69060800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/15/1979 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| O | USF | - Access is via water routes from Crane Lake or the Loon River. There is also a portage trail from East Bay of Crane Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 20.50 | 164 | 0.86 |
| Cisco (tullibee) | Standard gill nets | 20.50 | 164 | 0.33 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 3.62 | 29 | 1.18 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.25 | 26 | 2.82 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 16 | 0.13 |
| SIL | Standard gill nets | 1.88 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Sauger | Standard gill nets | 1.38 | 11 | 0.40 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.88 | 7 | 0.27 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.68 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.20 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.02 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.32 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.95 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.21 |
| RHS | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 6.02 |
| Sauger | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.23 |
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 Vermilion is a 1,287 acre Class 7 lake on the Minnesota-Ontario border. The lake is 3.5 miles east of Crane Lake, Minnesota; however the lake is accessed by boat through Crane Lake and Sand Point Lake which is approximately an 8 mile route. The portion of Little Vermilion that lies in Minnesota is approximately 540 acres, and is entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Little Vermilion has an experimental regulation which states that all Walleye from 18 to 26 inches must be immediately released, with one over 26 inches allowed in possession. There is also a combined possession of six Walleye and Sauger, where a maximum of four can be Walleye. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Little Vermilion in 2021. Little Vermilion Lake continues to produce an excellent Walleye fishery. Walleye exceeded the expected range for abundance, and an average fish in the 2021 sample was 13.3 inches, with 30+ inch fish present in the survey. The high catch rates of 2-4 year old fish in 2021 should provide good Walleye angling opportunities in the coming years. Northern Pike catch rates were within the expected range for this class of lake and the average size was above average. An average Northern Pike from the 2021 sample was 2.8 pounds and ranged from 17.5 to 33.8 inches. Little Vermilion is a varied fishery with several species of interest to anglers. For the panfish angler, Black Crappie are present with fish over 13 inches sampled, and Bluegill were of average size for the area. Sauger and Yellow Perch catch rates were within the expected range for this class of lake. Only a few Smallmouth Bass were sampled, however nets are not appropriate gear for effectively sampling these fish, and there is likely a quality Smallmouth fishery here similar to the lakes that are connected to Little Vermilion. Other species present during the survey included White Sucker, Silver Lamprey, Rock Bass, Redhorse, Burbot, and a single Mooneye. Little Vermilions inclusion in the Namakan Reservoir and Boundary Waters Canoe Area provides pristine surroundings to access a diverse fishery.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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