Vanduse

Vanduse Lake is 230 acres (189 Littoral acres) with a maximum depth of 27 feet. Vanduse is located about 2 miles south of Jacobson in northeastern Aitkin County. There is a public access with a gravel ramp on the west side of the lake. A standard survey (12 trap nets and 6 gill nets) was conducted on Vanduse Lake during the week of 6/10/2024 to assess the fishery. During the 2024 survey the water was clear-green in color, with moderate clarity, measured at 14 feet during the time of this survey. Dissolved oxygen was near zero parts per million (ppm) below 19 feet during the survey period. Vanduse is managed primarily for Bluegill and Walleye, with Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie as secondary species. Bluegill were sampled with trap nets at a typical rate compared to lakes with similar habitat (21.3 per net). Bluegill ranged in size from 3.4 to 9.3 inches, averaging 6.8 inches. The population had a good length distribution with approximately 38 percent of fish 8.0 inches or greater and vastly improved since previous surveys in 2019 (3 percent) and 2012 (less than 1 percent). Overall, the Bluegill trap net catch met the management goal of a catch rate less than 40 per net with 20 percent of fish 8.0 inches or greater. Walleye fry have been stocked in Vanduse Lake annually since 2019, except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of establishing a Walleye population in Vanduse Lake has not been met, as no Walleye were sampled in the 2024 survey. The absence of Walleye is likely due to high abundances of Northern Pike and Black Crappie. Walleye fry will be stocked again in 2025, and a targeted survey for Walleye is planned for 2026. The Walleye stocking regime will be re-evaluated based on results of the targeted survey. The Northern Pike gill net catch rate (12.5 per net) was similar to previous surveys dating back to the 1980's, which have consistently been high compared to similar lakes, and did not meet the management goal of less than 10 fish per net. Vanduse Lake Northern Pike averaged 19.9 inches and ranged from 15.0 to 35.6 inches. The size structure did not improve from the previous survey, as the percentage of fish greater than 24 inches decreased from 26 percent in 2012, to 9 percent in this survey. These results did not satisfy the goal established in the management plan of 15 percent of Northern Pike greater than 24 inches. Largemouth Bass are not sampled well with standard survey nets, so their populations are often evaluated using boat electrofishing. Day time electrofishing was conducted on 5/28/2024 and yielded a catch rate of 27.5 per hour. Bass ranged in length from 1.9 inches to 15.6 inches, and averaged 7.0 inches. Only 4 Largemouth Bass were captured in gill nets and 3 were captured in trap nets. The largest Bass was captured in a trap net and measured 17.4 inches. Black Crappie were sampled with gill nets (11.3 per net), above the typical rate for similar lakes and above the lake's long-term average (4 per net). Black Crappie ranged in length from 4.4 to 9.9 inches, averaging 7.2 inches. A high abundance of Black Crappies in Vanduse Lake has likely resulted in their poor size structure, due to competition and limited resources such as food and space. Vanduse Crappie had slow growth with an average of 6.7 inches at age 4, below the county and state average. Other fish species sampled were Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Black Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, Hybrid Sunfish, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, and White Sucker.

Reports from lake residents describing a severe winterkill on Vanduse Lake were received late in the winter of 2019. The lake has a history of winterkill particularly in the north basin. To follow up with these reports a post winterkill survey was conducted on 6/03/2019. Two gill nets and six trap nets were set at varying locations around the lake. Both gears caught fish in good numbers indicating the severity of the winterkill may not have been as severe as originally thought. Though not directly comparable since only 2 gill nets were used compared to 6 in the standard survey, catches of Northern Pike (15/net) and Black Crappie (14/net) were at or above historical averages. Trap net catches showed a catch of 5 Bluegill per net which is lower than the long term average of around 30 so it's possible that Bluegill density may have been reduced to some degree. Nonetheless restocking of the lake was not necessary. Periodic winterkills occur frequently in the area and are generally thought to help improve growth rates and size structure of sunfish species and Northern Pike populations by reducing intra and interspecific competition. We encourage people to report potential winterkills for our records as many likely go unnoticed.

Vanduse Lake is located about two miles south of Jacobsen in northeastern Aitkin County. It has bog-stained water and is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of 27 feet. There is a public access with a gravel ramp on the west side of the lake. The lake supports a popular panfish fishery, but the most recent survey suggests the size of the fish has decreased over the last decade. The average size of bluegill in survey trap nets was 6.1 inches in 2012, compared to 6.5 inches in 2002, and the percentage of fish greater than eight inches decreased from 22% to 1%, between the two surveys. Similar changes were seen in the black crappie size structure in survey gill nets where the average size was 6.7 inches in 2012, compared to 7.9 inches in 2002. Angler harvest can impact the quality of bluegill populations. Continually removing large, sexually mature sunfish from a population causes the remaining fish to begin reproducing when younger and smaller. This reduces bluegill growth rates, as more energy is used for reproduction rather than growth, which increases the time it takes to produce fish of a desirable size. The northern pike catch rate of 11.7 per gill net was similar to previous surveys dating back to the 1980's, which have consistently been high compared to similar lakes. These pike averaged 20.9 inches and ranged from 12.2 to 32.6 inches. The size structure showed improvement as the percentage of fish greater than 24 inches increased from 12% in 2002, to 26% in this survey. While catching large pike (greater than 24 inches) can be exhilarating, anglers are encouraged to release large fish due to their role in maintaining quality size structure of many species, and to maximize the sporting benefit for multiple anglers by recycling these quality fish.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Hybrid Sunfish, Northern Pike, and Rock Bass in Vanduse. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Vanduse. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Vanduse has a maximum depth of 27 feet and a mean depth of 8.2 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Vanduse is from 2024.

No invasive species are on record for Vanduse in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.