Watab Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73007000
Watab Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Watab Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 54 ft, mean depth 19 ft; surface area 97 acres, 33 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, and 2 more.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Five Points; DNR lake number (DOW) 73007000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
DNR fish survey, 2008
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 91.09 | 48 | 1.50 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 7.59 | 4 | 2.07 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 8 | 1.71 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 2 | 4.41 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 2.43 |
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 2.67 | 8 | 0.02 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 1.33 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | Survey seining | 0.67 | 2 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Survey seining | 0.67 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Survey seining | 0.67 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Survey seining | 0.33 | 1 | 0.01 |
| Johnny darter | Survey seining | 0.33 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | Survey seining | 0.33 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 10 | 0.14 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.87 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 3.91 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 4.08 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 1.72 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.17 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.08 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.09 |
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.
Watab-Rossier Lakes are located in Stearns County, two miles north of the City of St. Joseph. The lakes are relatively deep, and the Watab River flows through them on its way to the Mississippi. Watab (Long) is a recreational development lake while Rossier (Rose) is a natural environment lake. There is a private access on the north side of Watab Lake that belongs to the St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club and use of the access is limited to members only. This was the first full survey since 1989. Net catches were light overall. This may be due to abrupt drop-offs in depth along the shoreline. Few walleye were captured in gill nets. However, the walleye catch was within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Watab-Rossier. In a combined sample of all gear types, walleye ranged in length from 12 - 20 inches. Walleye populations may be greater than the nets indicate. Anglers reported catching multiple walleyes at the time of the survey. These reports are of interest because the Rod and Gun Club has stocked the lakes with walleye fingerlings nearly every year since 2000. Gill net catch rates of northern pike were within the expected range for Watab (4.0/net), but below the expected range for Rossier (2.0/net). Average size was lower on Watab (1.7 pounds) than Rossier (3.3 pounds). All northern pike taken with gill nets were less than 24 inches in Watab Lake. Three of four northern pike taken in Rossier Lake were 24 inches or larger. Northern Pike grew at an average rate and reached 23.5 inches in four years. A total of six channel catfish were sampled in gill nets. Catfish ranged in length from 23 - 25 inches with an average weight of 4.7 pounds. This marks the first time channel catfish have been sampled in Watab and Rossier Lakes. The origin of these fish is likely the Mississippi River. Largemouth bass were sampled by electrofishing during the day on May 23, 2008. A total of 97 largemouth were taken in 1.12 hours of effort for a catch per unit of effort of 86.6/hour, higher than the Stearns County (nighttime) average of 67/hr. Largemouth ranged in size from 7 to 20.5 inches. Largemouth bass grew at rate similar to statewide averages, and reached nearly 15 inches by age five. Six smallmouth bass were captured in addition to the largemouth and ranged in length from 10 - 17.5 inches. Anglers can expect good bass fishing in Watab-Rossier Lakes. Bluegill were uncommon and small. The trap net catches were below the range of expected values for both Watab and Rossier. Only three bluegill larger than seven inches were sampled. Trap net catch rates of black…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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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