Pitts Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73009800
Pitts Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Pitts Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 18 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 114 acres, 83 littoral acres, 2.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow perch.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Avon; DNR lake number (DOW) 73009800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
DNR fish survey, 2010
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 46.35 | 45 | 1.54 |
| Brook stickleback | 15-ft beach seine | 29.00 | 58 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 5.50 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.27 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 11.67 | 70 | 0.19 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.17 | 19 | 0.27 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 2.33 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 5.46 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 2.60 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.47 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.55 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.08 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 6.50 | 13 | 0.24 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 10 | 0.53 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 8 | 0.11 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 7 | 0.48 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 1.28 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 5.68 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 0.10 |
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.
Pitts Lake is a 93-acre lake located near the town of Avon in Stearns County. There is no public access and only three homes have been built around the lake. The watershed is predominantly agricultural. Maximum depth of Pitts Lake is 18 feet, but over 80% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Dissolved oxygen was good to a depth of 11 feet. The water was clear to 7.5 feet, which was the lowest depth that rooted aquatic plants were found. Cattails, which surround most of the lake, were common, as were bushy and curly-leaf pondweed. Pitts Lake is subject to occasional partial winterkills. Electrofishing for largemouth bass was conducted during day-time for the first time in 2010. A total of 45 bass were collected at a higher rate than from other Montrose Area lakes. Bass ranged from 6 to18 inches and averaged 14 inches. Age classes 2 through 9 were collected in this sample and growth rates were similar to statewide averages. Bluegill were captured in trap nets at a moderate rate. The population is satisfactory for fishing even though the net catches were below the statewide average. A total of 70 bluegill, between 4 and 8 inches, were caught. Bluegill were determined to be ages 2 through 5. Ages 2 and 3 grew faster than the statewide average; and bluegill reached six inches in three years. Black crappie, northern pike and yellow perch were all caught in low numbers in 2010. A total of 19 crappie, between 5 and 10 inches, was caught in trap nets. The catch was somewhat below the statewide average. Only four northern pike were caught in gill nets in 2010. This was the lowest catch of three surveys going back to 1965. Northern pike were between 16 and 26 inches and determined to be ages two through four. Eight yellow perch which averaged 6.5 inches were caught in gill nets. Growth rates for perch were faster than the statewide average. Yellow perch reached approximately six inches by the second year.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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