Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest October 9, 2024
Species recorded at Little Spirit Lake
23 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.
- bigmouth buffalo
- black bullhead
- black crappie
- bluegill
- brown bullhead
- channel catfish
- common carp
- freshwater drum
- gizzard shad
- green sunfish
- largemouth bass
- muskellunge
- northern pike
- northern pike (silver phase)
- orangespotted sunfish
- pumpkinseed
- quillback
- shortnose gar
- walleye
- white bass
- white sucker
- yellow bullhead
- yellow perch
Stocking at Little Spirit Lake
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for this lake — which species went in, how many, and in which years. Read the years: a lake stocked in one year is not necessarily stocked in the next.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Little Spirit Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 22, 2024 caught 5.67 walleye per gill net at Little Spirit Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Spirit Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
14 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-10-09 (Targeted Survey).
14 surveys on file · most recent 2024-10-09 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 37.08 | 5–14 in 2024-07-22 | 0.61 lb |
| Bluegill | 31.35 | 3–7 in 2024-07-22 | 0.29 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 18.65 | 19 in 2020-07-27 | 1.68 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 13.73 | 5–11 in 2024-07-22 | 0.19 lb |
| Bigmouth Buffalo | 12.00 | 10–13 in 2024-07-22 | 3.79 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 11.49 |
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.
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Perch
From the 2024-10-09 survey
Little Spirit Lake is a 643-acre, class 42 lake located on the Minnesota-Iowa border in Jackson County. Little Spirit Lake has a history of experiencing varying levels of partial winterkill and summer kill conditions due to low dissolved oxygen in the winter and severe algae blooms in the summer. Thus, Little Spirit…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Spirit Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Little SpiritFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Little SpiritFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Little SpiritPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Little Spirit Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 22, 2024 caught 5.67 walleye per gill net at Little Spirit Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 23 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 Little Spirit Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Little Spirit Lake is dated October 9, 2024. 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 Little Spirit Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Little Spirit Lake. It records which species were released, in what numbers and in which years — the source documents are linked further down this page. A lake can be stocked in some years and not others, so read the years rather than assuming an annual release.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Little Spirit Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Spirit Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 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 Little Spirit Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Little Spirit Lake
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