Ruth Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 18021200
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Ruth Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (4,000 fish).
- Ruth Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 22,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 39 ft; surface area 599 acres, 200 littoral acres, 5.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 22.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Crow Wing County, nearest town Emily; DNR lake number (DOW) 18021200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/12/1970 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,000 | 200.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,000 | 200.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,800 | 200.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,000 | 200.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,200 | 200.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Northwest corner of lake off Hwy. 6. - Northwest shore; off State Hwy. 6. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 120.00 | 1,440 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 101.75 | 1,221 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 6.83 | 82 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 4.42 | 53 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 36 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 1.08 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 0.17 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 74.50 | 149 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 60.55 | 111 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 40.36 | 74 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 21.82 | 40 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 10.36 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 8.73 | 16 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Backpack electrofishing | 5.45 | 10 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 2.18 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 1.09 | 2 | 0.00 |
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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Ruth Lake was conducted on July 6-7, 2022, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at fourteen sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample twelve stations and a 15-foot seine was used at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured sixteen species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2021 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey will be considered when the biological health of Ruth Lake is assessed during the Pine River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
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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