Vermilion River
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69061300
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Vermilion River since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (1,535,000 fish).
- Vermilion River has 8 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 7,480,000 fish on record.
- ; surface area 1,071 acres, 17.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Buyck; DNR lake number (DOW) 69061300.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 1,535,000 | 17.1 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 535,000 | 4.7 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 535,000 | 4.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 535,000 | 5.7 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 1,100,000 | 11.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 1,070,000 | 12.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 1,070,000 | 10.1 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,100,000 | 11.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | UKN | Access at County Road 24 and Twomile Creek. |
DNR fish survey, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 10.67 | 64 | 0.32 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.83 | 23 | 1.70 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 13 | 0.17 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 9 | 2.59 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.88 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.92 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.27 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.92 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 2.25 | 27 | 0.17 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 24 | 0.25 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 14 | 0.13 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 12 | 0.90 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.92 | 11 | 0.21 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 0.98 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 1.49 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 2.43 |
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.
The Vermilion River flows north from Lake Vermilion to Crane Lake in St Louis County, Minnesota. Within this system is a shallow 1,071 acre body of water commonly referred to as the "Chain of Lakes". The lakes are located approximately 8 miles south of Buyck, Minnesota. This is a shallow and heavily vegetated system with water clarity of 5.7 feet during the 2018 survey. Anglers can boat to the Chain of Lakes via a public access on Twomile Creek. Good panfish populations are available to anglers in the Vermilion River. Black Crappie catch rates were fairly low during the 2018 survey. However, average size was impressive. Crappies up to nearly 14 inches were sampled, and the average was nearly 12 inches. Bluegill catch rates were near the average for similar lakes, as was their size. Bluegill averaged nearly 6 inches and fish up to 8 inches were sampled during this survey. Northern Pike were generally small, which is typical of lakes similar to this system. An average pike weighed 1.7 pounds and was 20 inches in length. While the pike are typically small, it is likely that the occasional Muskellunge from Lake Vermilion takes up residence in the Chain of Lakes, which could give anglers some opportunities to target trophy fish. A naturally reproducing population of Walleye exists in the Vermilion River. Catch rates during lake surveys have been low, and attempts to stock Walleye fry since 2013 have not appeared to increase abundance as of this survey. The average size of Walleye sampled in 2018 was 13 inches. There is a very healthy Yellow Perch population in the Chain of Lakes. Perch provide a good source of forage for larger predator fish, and the size of the Yellow Perch should be of interest to some anglers as well. Perch over 11 inches were sampled, and the average length was 8.5 inches. The sample showed that these fish have fast growth rates and fairly consistent year classes. Bass are not typically caught in high numbers in traditional netting gear used during this survey. Two Smallmouth Bass were sampled and it is likely that there is a population in this system that would be of interest to bass anglers. Other fish sampled in low abundance included Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Pumkinseed, Rock Bass, and White Sucker.
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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