St James Pit
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69042800
DNR records show 15 stocking entries at St James Pit since 2016, most recently rainbow trout yearlings in 2025 (2,100 fish).
- St James Pit has 15 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): rainbow trout (15).
- The most-stocked species by count is rainbow trout: 18,075 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 381 ft, mean depth 115 ft; surface area 124 acres, 8 littoral acres, 2.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 29.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, rainbow trout, walleye, white sucker.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Aurora; DNR lake number (DOW) 69042800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,100 | 700.0 |
| 2024 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 875 | 350.0 |
| 2024 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 875 | 350.0 |
| 2023 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 875 | 350.0 |
| 2023 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,100 | 700.0 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2018 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 1,050 | 350.0 |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 2,100 | 700.0 |
| 2016 | Rainbow Trout1 | yearlings | 750 | 250.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | city | Southeast shore - Concrete ramp. - Parking for three vehicles adjacent to ramp, additional parking off access road on top of hill approx. 100 yds. from ramp. |
| CA | city | West end of pit, walk-in, limited parking, primarily winter use. - Cul-de-sac of Railroad Ave W. on top of hill overlooking pit, walk down hill approx. 70 yds. to shoreline. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow trout | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 13 | 0.82 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 13 | 2.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.34 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.05 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 4.66 |
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.
St. James Pit is a former mine pit now managed for stream trout; however, it is not a designated trout lake. A trout stamp is required to harvest trout from St. James Pit. The main access is a concrete ramp along the southeast shore just north of the town of Aurora. This 100-acre lake has a maximum depth of 381 feet and the water is very clear. On May 22, 2024, the water temperature ranged from 54 F at the surface to 43 F at 50 feet. Oxygen levels were adequate for trout throughout this range. This population assessment consisted of 6 gillnets, as has been the standard for all assessments of this lake since 1986. Stocking of trout on St. James Pit began in 1984 when lake trout and rainbow trout were introduced. From 1986 to 1996 rainbow and brook trout were the only species being stocked. No trout were stocked from 1997 to 2002. Since 2003, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) has taken over the stocking by providing funds and arranging to stock rainbow trout purchased from private growers. Typically, the IRRRB has stocked the pit twice every year in the spring and fall with fingerlings. The rainbow trout gillnet catch rate in 2024 was 2.2 fish/net or 1.8 pounds/net. Both of these values were about average for the pit and were improvements from some of the more recent surveys. Lengths ranged from 9 to 19 inches with an average of 12 inches. The average length was the largest on record and was one inch larger than the historical average for this waterbody. Fish weights averaged 0.8 pounds/fish. Other species sampled in this survey included white sucker with a catch rate of 2.2 fish/net, along with low numbers of bluegill, black crappie, and walleye. White sucker catches have remained consistent throughout the years, while other species are encountered occasionally in low numbers.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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