Vermillion Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11002900
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Vermillion Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (230,910 fish).
- Vermillion Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 477,486 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 27 ft; surface area 410 acres, 230 littoral acres, 5.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Elevenmile Corner; DNR lake number (DOW) 11002900.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 230,910 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 230,850 | 1.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,896 | 223.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,240 | 230.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,590 | 230.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | USF | NW shore, off of USFS Rd #2112 |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 13.83 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 13.14 | 19 | 0.00 |
| BCS | Backpack electrofishing | 3.46 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 2.77 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 2.07 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 2.07 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 1.38 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 1.38 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 13.00 | 52 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 10.50 | 42 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 6.75 | 27 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 50-ft beach seine | 1.25 | 5 | 0.00 |
| LED | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 0.75 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 9.00 | 36 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 7.50 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 0.75 | 3 | 0.00 |
| LED | 15-ft beach seine | 0.75 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.25 | 1 | 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 Vermillion Lake, was conducted on August 6th-7th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment 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 all 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, a 15-foot seine was used to sample four stations, and site conditions (e.g., Dense vegetation and soft substrates) prevented the use of a seine at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured 14 species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Least Darter) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data was combined with gill net data from a June 2023 survey and trap net data from a July 2024 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., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Fathead Minnow). 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 provide evidence that the fish community in Vermillion Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River-Headwaters watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Vermillion Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.