Alruss

Alruss is a 28-acre designated stream trout lake located nine miles north of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The lake has light green water and provides excellent trout habitat. It sits perched on the landscape and is surrounded by a mature forest of pine with a hardwood understory. Fall colors can be exceptional. No U.S. Forest Service campsites are present, but a few spots suitable for lunch exist. Brook trout are currently stocked annually. Access to Alruss is by a 90-rod portage east of the pond between Mudro and Fourtown lakes. It is not officially maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and can be rather discrete. Winter anglers should take caution on the pond. Current in this area often leads to unsafe ice conditions, and the steep shoreline can complicate overland bypass. A 100-rod portage formerly existed from Sandpit Lake, but a few mossy sawn logs are all that remained as of 2024. Reclamation to nature is effectively complete. The 2024 survey consisted of two gillnet sets. Brook trout abundance (14/net) was the highest on record for Alruss. Lengths ranged from seven to 14.5 inches with an average of 12 inches, which was identical to the lake average. Fish from at least two years of stocking events were present. Trout stomach contents were composed almost entirely of chironomid midges.

Alruss is a 28 acre designated stream trout lake located 9 miles north of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The lake is surrounded by a rolling landscape of pines and mixed hardwoods, had light green tinted water with a secchi depth visibility of 13 feet, and has a maximum depth of 48 feet. Access is by a 90 rod portage from the east side of the pond between Mudro and Fourtown Lakes. The portage from Sandpit Lake (100 rods) was in poor condition at the time of the survey. There are no designated USFS campsites present. Brook trout fingerlings are annually stocked by plane. Brook trout numbers were 11/net which is lower than in the previous survey, but higher than the long term average of 6/net for the lake. Fish sizes were similar to past surveys. The average brook trout sampled in 2019 was 12.6 inches long and weighed 1 pound, slightly larger than the long term average of 12 inches. The largest two fish were a respectable 17 inches long. Trout from four year classes appeared to be present, with the smallest fish coming from the previous fall's stocking. Total yield was 11 pounds/net, which ranks in the top ten of Tower area stream trout lakes. Stomach contents indicated that trout were feeding upon a variety of aquatic invertebrates. White sucker numbers and size structure remained low and were also similar to previous surveys.

Alruss Lake is located approximately 9 miles N of Ely and is entirely within the BWCAW. This remote 28 acre lake has a long history of stream trout management dating back to 1966. Brook trout fingerlings have been stocked since 2000 and low numbers of white sucker have been sampled. Minnows are commonly observed near shore. Access is by a 90 rod, user maintained portage from the east side of the pond between Mudro and Fourtown Lakes. There is another more discrete portage from Sandpit Lake (100 rods) that is poorly maintained. There are no designated USFS campsites present. Brook trout numbers in 2014 (13.0/gill net) were much higher than the long term average of 3.3/gill net from the previous 10 assessments since brook trout stocking began. The average brook trout sampled was 13.6 inches long which is slightly larger than the average length of 12.0 inches for the previous assessments. The largest brookie sampled in 2014 was a very respectable 19.1 inches long. The 2014 brook trout catch of 14.2 lbs/gill net was considerably higher than the long term average of 5.2 lbs/gill net. The previous 10 assessments with brook trout sampled ranged from 0.2 lbs/gill net to 14.4 lbs/gill net.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Splake in Alruss. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Alruss has a maximum depth of 48 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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