Little Bass

Little Bass Lake is managed primarily for northern pike and secondly for largemouth bass, bluegill and black crappie. Due to the lake's small size (16.4 acres), its healthy self-reproducing native fish population, and lack of an official public access, stocking has not been initiated at this time. The following fishery status for Little Bass Lake is based on survey results obtained during the Summer of 1997 and previous surveys. Northern pike abundance is normal when compared to similar lakes of this type. However, the average weight (3.1 lbs.) is high. Lengths ranged from 9.9 to 32.5 inches with an average length of 21.4 inches. Bluegill numbers are above average, while their average weight is normal. Most fish lengths ranged between 5.0 to 6.0 inches with an average length of 5.4 inches. Yellow perch numbers are up from previous surveys and fall within a normal range for this lake type. The average length is 7.3 inches with the majority of fish between 6.5 to 7.5 inches. A 20.1 inch largemouth bass, which was 10 years old, was sampled and no black crappies were collected. Bluegill natural reproduction was high while largemouth bass natural reproduction showed some success. Prepared by Audrey Posterick, Fisheries Specialist

BASED ON RESPECTIVE LOCAL MEDIANS THE PRESENT FISH POPULATION IS AS FOLLOWS: THE NORTHERN PIKE (4.00/ SET) IS NEAR THE LOCAL MEDIAN (3.88/SET) AND RE- MAINS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SMAE AS THE PREVIOUS SUR- VEY (3.00/SET). THE NORTHERN PIKE GROWTH RATE APPEARS TO BE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN AVERAGE FOR THE AREA BUT STILL WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE. NORTHERN PIKE TAKEN IN THE CURRENT SURVEY WERE ALL AGED OVER 4 YEARS OLD, SUGGESTING A LACK OF SPAWNING SUCCESS IN RECENT YEARS. LARGEMOUTH BASS (0.25/SET HAVE APPARENTLY DECLINED FROM THE PREVIOUS SURVEY (1.00/SET) TO THE LEVEL OF THE LOCAL MEDIAN (0.25/SET). LARGEMOUTH BASS, HOWEVER, DO NOT RESPOND PREDICTABLY TO TEST NETS AND NUMBER/SET IS NOT A RELIABLE MEASURE OF THE POPULATION. A DE- CREASE IN YOY BASS TAKEN IN 1/4' TRAPNET MAY BE MORE INDICATIVE OF A DECLINING POPULATION, FROM 35 IN 1984 TO 12 IN 1987. BLUEGILLS (32.74/SET) APPEAR TO HAVE INCREASED FROM THE 1984 SURVEY (14.74/SET) TO A LEVEL ABOVE THE LOCAL MEDIAN (25.67/SET). THE BLUEGILLS TEND TO BE SMALL IN SIZE AND EXHIBIT A SOMEWHAT LESS THAN AVERAGE GROWTH RATE FOR THE AREA. VERY SMALL POPULATIONS OF BLACK CRAPPIES, YELLOW PERCH, BROWN BULLHEADS, AND YELLOW BULLHEADS REMAIN UNCHANGED.

WHEN COMPARED TO RESPECTIVE LOCAL MEDIANS, THE NORTHERN PIKE WAS SLIGHTLY LOW AT 3.0 PER SET WITH A COMBINED AVG WT OF 1.54 PDS. THE BLUEGILL WAS LOW AT 1.00 PER SET. THE BLACK CRAPPIE WAS VERY LOW AT 1.00 PER SET. THE LARGEMOUTH BASS WAS SLIGHTLY HIGH AT 1.00 PER SET. ONLY 1 YELLOW PERCH WAS TAKEN IN THE 1/4 INCH TRAPNETS WHICH WERE SUPPLEMENTED IN PLACE OF SHORELINE SEINING DUE TO BOG CONDITIONS.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Yellow Perch in Little Bass. 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 Little Bass. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Little Bass has a maximum depth of 28 feet and a mean depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Bass is from 1997. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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