Ross Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 18016500
Ross Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Ross Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 30 ft; surface area 492 acres, 317 littoral acres, 6.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Crow Wing County, nearest town Little Pine; DNR lake number (DOW) 18016500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/6/1972 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 15.44 | 139 | 0.22 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.11 | 46 | 3.39 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 4.67 | 42 | 0.14 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.67 | 33 | 0.11 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.44 | 31 | 0.97 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 15 | 2.39 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.78 | 7 | 1.54 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.44 | 4 | 1.23 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 6.22 | 56 | 0.21 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 27 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.86 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 4.55 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 1.19 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.18 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 2.12 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.62 |
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.
Ross Lake is a 487 acre lake located in northeast Crow Wing County. A public access is located off the northeast corner of the lake. Ross has bog stained water, with a secchi disk reading of 4.0'. Much of the lakeshore is undeveloped and provides critical areas for fish spawning as well as providing habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Black crappies are the most abundant species in Ross, although most are on the smaller size. When compared to similar lakes, gill nets sampled crappies in high numbers at 15.4/net with an average length of 7.4". Trap nets sampled crappies in average numbers at 3.0/net, with an average length of 7.2". For both gears combined 32% were over 8" in length. Bluegills were sampled in low numbers at 6.2/trap net. Average length was 6.2", with 39% at least 7" in length. Northern pike numbers were average when compared to similar lakes at 5.1/gill net. Northern pike averaged 20.2" in length, with 48% at least 24" in length. Fish up to 32.3" were sampled. Catch and release of these larger fish will help keep a balanced northern pike population. Lakes in this part of the state have a new northern pike regulation enacted in 2018: possession limit of 10 with not more than 2 over 26". All from 22"-26" must be immediately released. Please refer to the current Minnesota Fishing Regulations for additional information. Walleyes were sampled for the first time in Ross. The gillnet catch of 1.7/net was average compared to similar lakes. Walleyes ranged from 13.9" to 23.4" with an average of 18.7". No invasive species have been discovered in Ross Lake, but they are located in the area. Lake users are required to inspect and remove any aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and trailers, as well as pull the plug and drain all water from the watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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