Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 28, 2017
Species recorded at Bass Lake
14 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Bass Lake
No stocking record for Bass Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Bass Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2017 caught 8.38 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–18 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bass Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2017-07-28 (Targeted Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2017-07-28 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 84.83 | 2–7 in 2017-06-26 | 0.11 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 16.48 | 5–13 in 2017-06-26 | 0.53 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 13.48 | 4–18 in 2017-06-26 | 0.88 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 10.31 | 2–9 in 2017-06-26 | 0.17 lb |
| Northern Pike | 9.20 | 8–37 in 2017-06-26 | 1.79 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Yellow Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
Hybrid Sunfish
From the 2017-07-28 survey
A survey of near shore fish species was conducted on Bass Lake on July 28th and 31st, 2017 by the Sauk Rapids DNR Fisheries office. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the shoreline and each site was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining, except two sites where soft sediments prevented the use of a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bass Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BassFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bass (2008)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BassPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Bass Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2017 caught 8.38 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–18 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 14 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Bass Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Bass Lake is dated July 28, 2017. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Bass Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Bass Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Bass Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bass Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Bass Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Bass Lake
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