Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 8, 2022
Species recorded at Rat Lake
13 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 Rat 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.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 8, 2022 caught 6.92 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Rat Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–15 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rat 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
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-07-08 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2022-07-08 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Shiner | 22.65 | ||
| Bluegill | 14.07 | 3–9 in 2022-06-21 | 0.29 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 8.27 | 4–11 in 2022-06-21 | 0.18 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.83 | 10–15 in 2022-06-21 | 1.55 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.28 | 14–30 in 2022-06-21 | 1.57 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.03 | 4–12 in 2022-06-21 | 0.35 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 Perch
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2022-07-08 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Rat Lake was conducted on July 8, 2022 by Aitkin Area Fisheries 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…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rat Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RatFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Rat (0142)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — RatFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Rat Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 8, 2022 caught 6.92 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Rat Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–15 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 13 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 Rat Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Rat Lake is dated July 8, 2022. 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 Rat Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Rat 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 Rat Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rat 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.
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