Owasso

Lake Owasso is a eutrophic, class 24 lake located in Ramsey County. The lake has a maximum depth of 37 feet and is 375 acres in surface area, with 293 littoral acres (78%). The primary management species in Lake Owasso are Walleye and Muskellunge, and the secondary management species is Largemouth Bass. Eurasian watermilfoil, first confirmed in the lake in 2000, and curly-leaf pondweed are abundant. Walleye fingerlings are stocked annually at a rate of 1.0 pound per littoral acre (293 pounds), and Muskellunge fingerlings are stocked at a rate of 0.5 fish per littoral acre (147 fish) in odd years. The lake has suffered occasional winter kills, so a permanent winter aeration system was installed in 2000. This report details the most recent gill net survey conducted in June of 2024. The previous gill net survey occurred in July of 2021. Walleyes were sampled at a rate of 2.6 fish per gill net. This catch rate is slightly below average for the lake class, and consistent with the lake's history. The mid-range management goal for Lake Owasso is to maintain a Walleye population with a catch rate of 2.8 fish per net. Fish size was above average for the lake class, with an average length of 17.9 inches. Fish ranged from 9.8 to 24.0 inches in length, and 46% of fish were at least 20 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 9 years old, and most fish were age 5. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 6.6 fish per gill net. This catch rate is above average for the lake class and is typical relative to historical surveys. Fish size was also above average for the lake class, with an average length of 23.5 inches and a maximum length of 29.7 inches. Northern Pike are not a management priority on Lake Owasso, as it is primarily managed for Muskellunge. However, no Muskellunge were sampled in this gill net survey. Yellow Perch were sampled at a rate of 13.8 fish per gill net. This catch rate is above average for the lake class. Historically, catch rates have been highly variable among gill net surveys for Lake Owasso. Fish size was below average for the lake class, with an average length of 6.3 inches. Yellow Perch size ranged from 5.8 to 7.4 inches in length. This narrow size range and historical variability in catch rate indicate that Yellow Perch recruitment is inconsistent in Lake Owasso. Sportfish including Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie were also sampled in gill nets; however, summer gill nets are not the optimal sampling gear to access abundance or size structure for these species. None were of notable size. Other fish species were sampled including Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Common Carp.

Lake Owasso is a 375 acre eutrophic lake assigned to lake class 24 in the Cities of Roseville and Shoreview, Ramsey County. Seventy-eight percent (292 acres) of the lake is littoral and it has a maximum depth is 37 feet and mean depth of 11 feet. The fishery is predominantly managed for Walleye and Muskellunge. Walleye fingerlings are stocked at a rate of 1 lb. per littoral acre while Muskellunge fingerlings are stocked at a rate of 0.5 fish per littoral acre in odd years. A fish-kill occurred in 2013 when, shortly after ice covered the lake, a presumed oxygen super-saturation event caused a large number of fish mortalities in Lake Owasso. An assessment in the spring of 2014 discovered that it was not a complete kill, with Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass and Common Carp present. This survey was conducted with gill nets and trap nets in July 2021 with electrofishing for Largemouth Bass in early June. The previous survey occurred in 2018. Walleye were sampled at a rate of 7.5 fish per gill net. This is the highest catch rate in the lakes history and twice the previous survey. Fish size was typical for the lake and large relative to similar lakes with a mean length of 19.4 inches. Not many small fish were sampled in gill nets but these fish were well represented in trap nets with a mean length in that gear of 13.5 inches. The largest fish was also caught in trap nets with a length of 26.6 inches. Only fish from gill nets were aged as trap net fish could be released with a high certainty of survival. Ages varied from 2 to 13 years old but 7 year old fish dominated with over 60 percent of the catch. The relatively large number of smaller fish sampled in trap nets indicates that there are also younger year classes coming up. The long range goal of providing a Walleye fishery with catches in the normal range for the lake class is currently being exceeded. Northern Pike were sampled by gill nets at a rate of 10.5 fish per net. This is high relative to similar lakes but is typical relative to historical surveys. Fish size was smaller than average with a mean length of 22.7 inches and a maximum of 29 inches. Northern Pike are not a management priority on this lake as it is primarily managed for Muskellunge. Yellow Perch were sampled by gill nets at a rate of 20.3 fish per net. This is a typical rate although catch rates have been widely variable with the previous survey sampling only a single Yellow Perch in gill nets. Fish size was also typical with a mean length of 6.3 inches. Fish size only ranged from 5.5 to 7 inches in length. This small size range and historical variability in catch rates may indicate that recruitment in this lake is highly episodic. Black Crappie were sampled at a rate of 3.5 fish per trap net but at a rate of 11 fish per gill net. The trap net rate is below average while the gill net rate is above average. Fish size was similar in both gears and a slight improvement over previous surveys. The larger sample size from gill nets had a mean length of 7.5 inches with a maximum of 10.7 inches. That single largest fish was the only one sampled over 9 inches. Bluegill were sampled at a rate of 37.8 fish per trap net. This rate is typical but this lake has had a relatively variable history of catch rates. Fish size was quite a bit smaller than average relative to similar lakes which is historically typical for the lake. Mean length was only 5 inches and the maximum size was 7.4 inches. Spring time electrofishing sampled Largemouth Bass at a rate of 43 fish per hour. This was the same rate as the only other electrofishing effort conducted on the lake with occurred in 2012. Fish size was also fairly similar with a mean length of 9.8 inches. Sizes were fairly evenly distributed across the range of sizes with a maximum length of 17.9 inches and a PSD of 46. Although the Muskellunge population is assessed by spring time sampling, one 25.5 inch fish was sampled in this survey. Other species sampled included: Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

A targeted survey of nearshore and littoral fish species in Owasso Lake was conducted on June 30th, 2021 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at ten sampling stations, but one station was sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, a 15-foot seine was used at five stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 14 species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (Iowa Darter), and one species that is tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a July 26th, 2021 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (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, Green Sunfish, Common Carp). 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 will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River-Twin Cities Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

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

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

Owasso has a maximum depth of 37 feet and a mean depth of 11.2 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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