Ross

Ross Lake is a 487 acre lake located in northeast Crow Wing County. A public access is located off the northeast corner of the lake. Ross has bog stained water, with a secchi disk reading of 4.0'. Much of the lakeshore is undeveloped and provides critical areas for fish spawning as well as providing habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Black crappies are the most abundant species in Ross, although most are on the smaller size. When compared to similar lakes, gill nets sampled crappies in high numbers at 15.4/net with an average length of 7.4". Trap nets sampled crappies in average numbers at 3.0/net, with an average length of 7.2". For both gears combined 32% were over 8" in length. Bluegills were sampled in low numbers at 6.2/trap net. Average length was 6.2", with 39% at least 7" in length. Northern pike numbers were average when compared to similar lakes at 5.1/gill net. Northern pike averaged 20.2" in length, with 48% at least 24" in length. Fish up to 32.3" were sampled. Catch and release of these larger fish will help keep a balanced northern pike population. Lakes in this part of the state have a new northern pike regulation enacted in 2018: possession limit of 10 with not more than 2 over 26". All from 22"-26" must be immediately released. Please refer to the current Minnesota Fishing Regulations for additional information. Walleyes were sampled for the first time in Ross. The gillnet catch of 1.7/net was average compared to similar lakes. Walleyes ranged from 13.9" to 23.4" with an average of 18.7". No invasive species have been discovered in Ross Lake, but they are located in the area. Lake users are required to inspect and remove any aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and trailers, as well as pull the plug and drain all water from the watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells.

Ross Lake is a 491 acre lake, with a maximum depth of 30', located 38 miles northeast of Brainerd in Crow Wing County. Ross is located in the Pine River watershed. A nearshore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. Ten 100' long sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lakeshore. Each station was then sampled by backpack electrofishing, and if conditions allowed with a 15' or 50' 1/8th inch seine. The survey took place on July 3 & 5, 2018, with all 10 stations sampled by backpack electrofishing. The 15' 1/8th inch seine was used at 5 stations and the 50' 1/8th inch seine was not used. Soft bottom and heavy vegetation prevented the use of seines at the other 5 sampling sites. Eleven species were sampled, including three species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance: Iowa darter, blackchin shiner, and rock bass. This nearshore survey will be used along with the gill net and trap net survey conducted on August 6-9, 2018 to calculate a Fish-Based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health by the types of fish species present and comparing it to what is expected for this type of lake.

Ross Lake is located southeast of Emily in northeastern Crow Wing County. A public access is on the northeast corner of the lake off of County Road 36, about eight miles east of Highway 6. Ross Lake is about 490 acres and has a maximum depth of 30 ft. Water clarity tends to be low in Ross Lake due to the bog-stain color of the water and summer algae growth. In August 2006, clarity was about 3.5 ft. A fishery population assessment was done in August 2006 to assess the fish community. Black crappies were the most abundant fish in the gill nets with a catch well above normal compared to other similar lakes in Minnesota. However, the black crappies were relatively small with an average length of 6.8 inches and a maximum length of 9 inches; most crappies were between 5.5 and 7.9 inches. The northern pike catch of 3.3 per gill net was relatively low compared to similar lakes. The northern pike were relatively large with an average length of 25 inches and a maximum length of 33 inches. Most other species captured in the gill nets were caught in moderate to low numbers. Trap net catches of all species was low to moderate compared to other similar lakes. Bluegills comprised the majority of the trap net catch; most were around 5 to 7 inches long. Yellow bullheads were fairly large with a mean length of 11 inches and the largest around 13 inches in both the gill and trap nets. Besides bluegill, black crappie, and yellow bullhead, catch of all other species was less than 1 per trap net.

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

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

Ross has a maximum depth of 30 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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