Moccasin

Moccasin Lake (DOW# 11-0296, Lake Class 32) is a 272-acre lake with 109 littoral acres, 6.1 miles of shoreline, and a maximum depth of 95 feet located west of Longville, MN. A US Forest Service owned concrete public access is located on the eastern shore. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Moccasin Lake is in Lake Class 32; lakes in this class are characterized as low productivity Sunfish waters. Other area lakes in this class include Cooper, Island, and Long (Pinecrest) Lakes. Moccasin Lake possesses a undeveloped shoreline. The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Largemouth Bass, and secondarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. An experimental catch and release regulation for Largemouth Bass was implemented in 1996 and made permanent in 2003. A special regulation on Black Crappie and Sunfish was enacted in 2017 (daily limit of five). Quality angling opportunities exist for Largemouth Bass in Moccasin Lake. An electrofishing survey was completed to evaluate the existing bass regulation. Largemouth Bass abundance was below management goals and lengths ranged from 8 to 18 inches, with an average length of 13 inches. Length based goals for Largemouth Bass were partially met in 2025. Since the regulation has been put in place abundance has fluctuated but average length has not increased. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Moccasin Lake. AIS are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Moccasin Lake was conducted on August 26-27, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program 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 ten sampling stations, but four stations were sampled from the boat due to soft sediments and dense aquatic vegetation. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample six stations, a 15-foot seine was used at three stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured four species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e. Iowa Darter). The most common species caught in the nearshore survey were Bluegill. A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured six species of fish; Rock Bass were sampled which are intolerant of disturbance. Bluegill comprised most of the catch by number and biomass. Bluegill showed a moderate size structure, their average size was around 6.6 inches with 15% of individuals being larger than 8 inches and the largest Bluegill caught was over 9 inches. The nearshore data were combined with gill net data from a June 2024 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Iowa darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey indicate that the fish community in Moccasin Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to survey findings from earlier in 2024, which indicated that Moccasin Lake exceeds the exceptional use threshold. These results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Leech Lake River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. Moccasin Lake supports several important game fish species (i.e., Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass) as well as a variety of sensitive non-game species (i.e., Rock Bass, Iowa Darter). You can help protect Moccasin Lake's unique fish community by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Moccasin Lake was conducted on June 17-18, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program 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 ten sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample five stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at four stations. One station was not seined due to dense lilies and soft substrate. Nearshore sampling captured ten species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured six species of fish, including one that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number and biomass. The nearshore and trap net were combined with gill net data from a June 2024 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Moccasin Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the exceptional use threshold determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings, which indicated that Moccasin Lake is fully supporting aquatic life. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Leech Lake River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Moccasin Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Walleye, and Pumpkinseed in Moccasin. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Moccasin has a maximum depth of 95 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Moccasin is from 2025.

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