Spring

Spring Lake (also called Wood Lake) has been managed by the Fishing in the Neighborhood Program since 2003. Spring Lake sits on the borders of three cities (Spring Lake Park, Mounds View and Fridley) and two counties (Anoka and Ramsey). A fishing pier was installed in 2005 and a surface aspirating aerator in 2006. Spring Lake has a history of water level fluctuations and the lake was augmented with groundwater into the 1980's. Since 2003 the water level has been declining, with a slight rebound in the past few years. Most of the lake is shallow (less than 8 feet) and supports a large variety of native submersed aquatic plant species. This diverse plant community is highly desirable and provides fantastic fish habitat but also can be detrimental in winter when plants senesce and decay and dissolved oxygen becomes limiting. The deepest area is in the east end and is around 17 feet deep. A distinct edge forms where the plants stop growing at around 9-10 feet and can provide great fishing from a canoe or small boat. A hard winterkill was documented in 2010 when the aeration system could not be operated due to shallow water and a mild winterkill occurred in the winter 2017-2018 due to the surface aspirator breaking down. Due to the recent winterkill the Spring Lake fish community is somewhat diminished. Black Bullhead was the most numerous fish found in this survey. Black Bullhead lengths ranged from 3.5 to almost 13 inches. Other fish observed in lesser numbers were Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Bluegill and Black Crappie. These fish ranged from 6.0 to 9.0 inches in length.

Spring Lake (also called Wood Lake) has been managed by the Fishing in the Neighborhood Program since 2003. Walleye rearing has been attempted multiple times in the basin, most recently in 2012 and 2013. No attempt at harvest was made during the most recent two attempts, though fingerlings were observed during the current survey. Spring Lake sits on the borders of three cities (Spring Lake Park, Mounds View and Fridley) and two counties (Anoka and Ramsey). A fishing pier was installed in 2005 and a surface aspirating aerator in 2006. Spring Lake has a history of water level fluctuations and the lake was augmented with groundwater into the 1980's. Since 2003 the water level has been declining, with a slight rebound in the past two years. Most of the lake is shallow (less than 8 feet) and supports a large variety of native submerged aquatic plant species. This diverse plant community is highly desirable and provides fantastic fish habitat. The deepest area is in the east end and is around 15 feet deep, a distinct edge forms where the plants stop growing and can provide great fishing from a canoe or small boat. A hard winterkill was documented in 2010 when the aeration system could not be operated due to shallow water. The system will again be operated for the first time since then in 2014. Based on the 2013 survey the winterkill was severe enough to kill Bullheads which can tolerate extremely low oxygen levels in the winter. These conditions have allowed the DNR to utilize this pond to raise Walleye fingerlings. Due to a shortage in staffing these fingerlings were not harvested in 2013 and will continue to live and grow in the lake, providing some great fishing in the coming years. The 500 sunfish stocked in May 2013 grew rapidly over the summer and fish over six inches are common and even some over eight inches were sampled.

Spring Lake (also known as Wood Lake) is located on the border of Spring Lake Park and Mounds View in Anoka County. A city park operated by the Spring Lake Park has good parking, and facilities including a picnic shelter, playground, toilets, and ball fields. There is a paved walking path from the parking lot to the fishing pier. Canoe access is also available from the parking area. Most of the lake is shallow (less than 8 feet) and supports dense aquatic plant growth much of the summer. The deepest part of the lake is a little over 15 feet. A distinct "weedline" forms around the deep area and is a good spot to fish from a canoe. The water level has been low for a number of years and is still quite low. The 2008 fish survey found abundant bluegill. Most were small with an average size of 5.3 inches, but some were between 7 and 8 inches, with a few nearly 9 inches long. The lake has a history of periodically producing large panfish. Largemouth bass fingerlings were stocked in 2004. Moderate numbers of juvenile bass were sampled, but only one large fish (17 inches). Moderate numbers of nice-sized northern pike were also sampled - average length was 25 inches. Black crappies were stocked in 2004, but none were sampled. Black bullhead were sampled in moderate numbers, and ranged from 5 to 9 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch in Spring. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Spring. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Spring has a maximum depth of 18 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Spring is from 2018. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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