Owasso Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 62005600

DNR records show 20 stocking entries at Owasso Lake since 2016, most recently muskellunge yearlings in 2025 (30 fish).

• Owasso Lake has 20 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (15), muskellunge (5).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 27,160 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 37 ft, mean depth 11 ft; surface area 375 acres, 293 littoral acres, 5.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.7 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 3 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: June 13, 2024 (targeted survey).
• Ramsey County, nearest town Shoreview; DNR lake number (DOW) 62005600.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/10/1981 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

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 Owasso is a eutrophic, class 24 lake located in Ramsey County. The lake has a maximum depth of 37 feet and is 375 acres in surface area, with 293 littoral acres (78%). The primary management species in Lake Owasso are Walleye and Muskellunge, and the secondary management species is Largemouth Bass. Eurasian watermilfoil, first confirmed in the lake in 2000, and curly-leaf pondweed are abundant. Walleye fingerlings are stocked annually at a rate of 1.0 pound per littoral acre (293 pounds), and Muskellunge fingerlings are stocked at a rate of 0.5 fish per littoral acre (147 fish) in odd years. The lake has suffered occasional winter kills, so a permanent winter aeration system was installed in 2000. This report details the most recent gill net survey conducted in June of 2024. The previous gill net survey occurred in July of 2021. Walleyes were sampled at a rate of 2.6 fish per gill net. This catch rate is slightly below average for the lake class, and consistent with the lake's history. The mid-range management goal for Lake Owasso is to maintain a Walleye population with a catch rate of 2.8 fish per net. Fish size was above average for the lake class, with an average length of 17.9 inches. Fish ranged from 9.8 to 24.0 inches in length, and 46% of fish were at least 20 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 9 years old, and most fish were age 5. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 6.6 fish per gill net. This catch rate is above average for the lake class and is typical relative to historical surveys. Fish size was also above average for the lake class, with an average length of 23.5 inches and a maximum length of 29.7 inches. Northern Pike are not a management priority on Lake Owasso, as it is primarily managed for Muskellunge. However, no Muskellunge were sampled in this gill net survey. Yellow Perch were sampled at a rate of 13.8 fish per gill net. This catch rate is above average for the lake class. Historically, catch rates have been highly variable among gill net surveys for Lake Owasso. Fish size was below average for the lake class, with an average length of 6.3 inches. Yellow Perch size ranged from 5.8 to 7.4 inches in length. This narrow size range and historical variability in catch rate indicate that Yellow Perch recruitment is inconsistent in Lake Owasso. Sportfish including Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie were also sampled in gill nets; however, summer gill nets are not the optimal sampling gear to access abundance or size structure for these species. None were of notable size. Other fish species were sampled including Brown…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, June 13, 2024.

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