Little Wilson

Little Wilson Lake is a 55-acre lake located 11 miles northwest of Schroeder and within the Superior National Forest. There is a public access with an earthen boat ramp suitable for smaller watercraft and limited space for parking off Forest Service 355. The Walleye population is actively managed with the current plan to stock fry in two consecutive years followed by two non-stocked years. A standard fisheries survey was completed in July 2024 to monitor the fish community and evaluate stocking efforts. The Walleye catch rate of 7.67 per gill net was the same as the last survey of Little Wilson Lake and within the normal range for similar lakes in the area. Size structure was good and ranged from 11 to 23 inches long with the average Walleye measuring 16 inches long and weighing just over one and a half pounds. Age analysis determined that naturally reproduced year classes accounted for about half the catch. The Northern Pike catch rate of 5.33 per gill net was higher than any of the ten previous surveys of Little Wilson Lake, but within the normal range for similar lakes in the area. Size structure was modest and ranged from 17 to 25 inches long with the average pike measuring 20 inches long and weighing about 1.7 pounds. White Sucker and Yellow Perch catches were similar to previous surveys of the lake. While these are important forage species they are not likely targeted by anglers, although some harvest of suckers may occur in the spring near the lake outlet.

A targeted survey of the Walleye population was completed in July 2024 using a mark and recapture method to calculate an estimate of fish abundance. Special trap netting sampled 60 Walleye longer than eight inches that were marked with a dorsal fin clip and available in the population for recapture efforts. Standard fisheries survey gill netting used to recapture fish resulted in a sample of 23 Walleye longer than eight inches and included one individual that was marked. The data from marking and recapture efforts was used to generate an estimate of the Walleye population of 732 fish, or about 13 per acre. This represents a high-density population that should provide anglers with good opportunities to catch and harvest Walleye into the future.

Little Wilson Lake is located 11 miles northwest of Schroeder off of United States Forest Service Road 355. There is a public access with a gravel ramp suitable for small boats on the northeast side of the lake and a parking area large enough to fit a couple vehicles. The lake has an area of 54 acres and a maximum depth of 22 feet. The lake is managed primarily as a Walleye fishery with fry stocking occurring two consecutive years out of every four. A lake survey was conducted the week of July 29th 2019 to assess the effectiveness of Walleye stocking and to provide data to guide future management. Walleye catch was similar to previous surveys and within the normal range for the lake. Size structure was good as Walleye averaged 15 inches long and 1.3 pounds with the largest fish weighing about four pounds and measuring nearly 22 inches long. Fish ranged from age-1 to age-7 with age-3 (average length of 14 inches) and age-6 (average length of 17.5 inches) year classes being the most common. Most of the Walleye sampled came from years when fry stocking occurred. Northern Pike catch was low with only three fish sampled. These fish ranged in length from 16 to 22.5 inches with the largest fish weighing three pounds. The Northern Pike population has historically remained low with inconsistent reproduction due to limited spawning habitat. Average numbers of Yellow Perch were sampled in trap nets. These fish had an average length of 6.5 inches with the largest fish measuring just short of 9 inches. White Sucker, Blacknose Shiner, Common Shiner, Creek Chub, Golden Shiner, and Tadpole Madtom were also sampled during the survey. Little Wilson Lake supports a good Walleye fishery supplemented by regular fry stocking. Its small size offers anglers the opportunity to take out small boats on windy days when larger bodies of water like Wilson Lake may be too rough. The clear water of Little Wilson Lake means that anglers may have better luck under low light conditions.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch in Little Wilson. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Little Wilson has a maximum depth of 22 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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