Little Wolf

Little Wolf Lake is a 528-acre lake with a maximum depth of 24 feet located near the town of Cass Lake on the Hubbard/Cass county line. The public access is township-owned and located on the northwest side of the lake. The unimproved ramp results in limited access for larger boats due to landing design, water depths and aquatic vegetation. The lake has a moderately developed shoreline with one active resort. Little Wolf Lake is primarily managed for Walleye and Muskellunge with Bluegill, Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass managed as secondary species. Walleye are stocked in alternate years and these stockings have been successful at providing consistent Walleye fishing. The 2024 walleye catch rate of just over 3 fish/gillnet declined from the previous survey in 2019 but still remains above average when compared to similar lakes. Walleye captured ranged in length from 8 to 26 inches with an average length of 16 inches. Little Wolf should provide good Walleye fishing in the near future with decent numbers of young fish nearing sizes desired by anglers. Little Wolf Lake historically has had low Northern Pike numbers compared to similar lakes. A total of only 14 pike were captured in the 2024 survey. Those fish ranged in length from 16 to 31 inches and had a good average size of about 24 inches in length. A total of six muskellunge were captured in the 2024 survey, which is more than typical. Four of those fish were juveniles (age-2 and age-3), recently recruited to the population. In established muskellunge lakes like Little Wolf, it is unusual to see that many young fish in a single survey. The 2024 Bluegill catch rate of 16.8/trap net was within the range typically found in similar lakes. Bluegill captured had an average size of 6 inches. The Black Crappie catch rate was above average for Little Wolf. Crappie sizes were mostly on the small side, and ranged in length from 4 to 12 inches, averaging just over 8 inches. Seventy-nine percent of crappies in the sample belonged to the 2021 year class (age-3). Little Wolf crappies grow fast, and it appears that the 2021 Black Crappie year class may provide some excellent angling opportunities in the near future. Other species captured during the survey were Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Yellow Bullhead and Yellow Perch.

Little Wolf is a 528-acre lake, located 4 miles northwest of Cass Lake, MN within the Chippewa National Forest. A targeted re-survey was completed by Bemidji Area Fisheries staff on Little Wolf Lake during late July of 2019 to assess the nearshore fish community and overall health of the lake. The initial survey was completed in early July of 2019 by the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) program staff. In this survey, 14 nearshore sites (100-foot) were evenly spaced along the lakeshore to sample a variety of aquatic habitat types and collect a representative sample of the nearshore fish community. Depending on the habitat conditions at each site, backpack electrofishing and shoreline seining were attempted. A total of eight sites were sampled with a seine, while backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 sites. A total of 15 species of fish were sampled, which included four species (Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass) that are intolerant to disturbance or poor water quality. Nearshore fish community data was analyzed with information collected from the standard survey completed in 2019 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) score to measure the biological condition and overall health of Little Wolf Lake. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat (e.g. Blackchin Shiner, Least Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). The combination of fish species present may identify stressors negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score is composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics to indicate the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (www.mndnr.gov). Data from this survey indicated Little Wolf Lake is in good health with a FIBI score above the impairment and exceptional thresholds for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. In coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River (Headwaters) Watershed assessment.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Little Wolf Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting on July 8, 2019. Fourteen sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 sites with one site sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine sites, a 15-foot seine was used at three sites, and deep, soft sediments prevented the use of seines at two sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 16 native species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Muskellunge, and Rock Bass) and no species that are tolerant of disturbance. A summer trap net survey was conducted on July 8, 2019 by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff in conjunction with the targeted survey of the nearshore fish community. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass and Yellow Perch comprised the majority of the trap net catch by number. Bluegill dominated the trap net catch; 77% by numbers and 50% by biomass. The number of Bluegill sampled per net was similar to the 75% quartile for similar Lake Class 31 lakes. Conversely, the numbers of Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass per net were below the 25% quartile for Lake Class 31 lakes. Of the Bluegills sampled, 32% were between 5 and 7 inches, 48% were over 7 inches and 8% were over 8 inches. These trap net and nearshore survey data are combined with data from an August 2019 gill net survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (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., Black Bullhead). 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. Data from this survey indicates Little Wolf Lake is healthy as indicated by an exceptionally high FIBI score, well above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River - Headwaters Watershed assessment of surface waters process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Muskellunge, Walleye, Black Crappie, Rock Bass, and Northern Pike in Little Wolf. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Little Wolf has a maximum depth of 24 feet and a mean depth of 11.9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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