McCarron

McCarrons Lake is a developed 73-acre, 57-foot-deep, class 30 lake located in the southeast corner of the City of Roseville. Ramsey County operates and maintains a 15-acre county park on the east side of the lake, providing approximately 900 feet of shoreline access. The park is fully developed and includes a boat launch with parking for eight car/boat trailers, a 300-foot swimming beach, a beach building, picnic shelter, two play areas, a fishing pier, and a 150-car parking lot. The McCarrons Lake watershed is completely urbanized, with land use consisting primarily of residential and commercial development. Elevated phosphorus levels have contributed to nuisance algal growth and occasional winterkill events. Concerns regarding water quality raised by local residents initiated several investigations and water quality improvement actions beginning in 2003. Largemouth Bass are the primary management species in McCarrons Lake, with Bluegill Sunfish managed as a secondary species. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 20.5 fish per gill net, this catch rate is substantially higher than the long-term average of 2.3 fish per gill net across the previous five surveys. Northern Pike sampled in gill nets ranged from 6.8 to 34.8 inches, with an average length of 23.7inches. An additional 13 Northern Pike were captured in trap nets, ranging from 18.4 to 32.6 inches, with an average length of 25.4 inches. One Walleye measuring 23.4 inches was sampled during the 2025 assessment. Walleye were last stocked in McCarrons Lake in 2004 as fry. Bluegill Sunfish were sampled at a rate of 12.2 fish per trap net, this represents a decline from the 2019 catch rate of 34.4 fish per trap net and is below the long-term average of 55.1 fish per trap net across the previous five surveys. This is the lowest recorded trap net catch rate for Bluegill since the initial survey in 1958, which recorded a catch rate of 10.7 fish per trap net. Bluegills ranged in length from 3.5to 8.2 inches, with an average length of 5.8 inches. Black Crappie sampled at rates of 5.0 fish per trap net and 5.5 fish per gill net. Historically, Black Crappie have been sampled in low abundance in gill nets, with none captured in 2019 and a long-term average catch rate of 1.0 fish per gill net across the previous five surveys. Trap net-captured Black Crappie ranged from 5.7 to 8.3 inches, with an average length of 6.9 inches. Yellow Perch were sampled at a rate of 2.5 fish per gill net and 0.3 fish per trap net. Gill net catch rates for Yellow Perch have declined since 1998, when the highest catch rate of 231.5 fish per gill net was recorded. Yellow Perch sampled ranged from 5.8to 6.9 inches. Neither Largemouth Bass nor Smallmouth Bass were sampled during the 2025 survey. Electrofishing is recommended as the most effective method to evaluate the bass population in McCarrons Lake and was not conducted during this survey. Other species sampled in low abundance during the survey included Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Yellow Bullhead, and White Sucker.

Lake McCarron is a small eutrophic basin located in Roseville that is categorized in lake class 30. Surface acreage is 73 acres with 25 acres being littoral (less than 15 feet deep).The maximum depth being 57 feet and there is a high abundance of aquatic vegetation. McCarron has a variety of habitat for various species of fish. Northern Pike have been the primary management species in the lake. The lake has a history of experiencing partial winterkills that tend to reduce the number of small Bluegills back to levels of abundance that the lake can support. Net catches were slightly better than what was seen in previous years, with gill net catches of Northern Pike above average and trap net catches of Bluegill also above average in abundance. Northern Pike averaged 22 inches and Bluegills ranged from 2.7 to 8.1 inches in length with an average length of 5.2 inches. The largest Black Crappie captured was 11.4 inches in length. Yellow Perch were captured in low abundance for lakes similar to McCarron. Largemouth Bass are present in the lake however none were captured in the gill or trap nets in 2019. Largemouth Bass were sampled by night electrofishing with thirty-six Largemouth Bass and two Smallmouth Bass being sampled by electrofishing (36.6 bass/hr on time), which was conducted around the entire shoreline of McCarrons Lake. The Largemouth Bass population size structure on McCarrons Lake is good with some quality size fish present. The Smallmouth Bass present in the lake are most likely the result of illegal transport and stocking by overzealous anglers. Anglers are reminded that the practice of non-permitted fish stocking is prohibited by state law.

Lake McCarron is a small eutrophic basin located in Roseville that is categorized in lake class 30. Surface acreage is 68 acres with 25 acres being littoral (37%). With the maximum depth being 57 feet and a high abundance of aquatic vegetation, McCarron has a variety of habitat for various species of fish. Northern Pike have been the primary management species in the lake. The lake has a history of experiencing partial winterkills that tend to reduce the number of small Bluegills back to levels of abundance that the lake can support. Net catches were similar to previous years, with gill net catches of Northern Pike slightly increasing and trap net catches of Bluegill decreasing. Northern Pike captured averaged 24.8 inches in length and 3.1 pounds. Bluegills ranged from 3.4 to 8.4 inches in length and 17% of Bluegills captured were 7 inches in length or larger. The largest Black Crappie captured was 11.2 inches in length. Yellow Perch were also captured in low abundance with an average length of 6.1 inches.

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

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

McCarron has a maximum depth of 57 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

Yes — McCarron has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.