Pioneer

St. Louis County

Near Cotton

DOW: 69053200

Rock BassGood · 55Northern PikeGood · 54Yellow PerchAverage · 49

A 81-acre lake near Cotton in St. Louis County — best known for panfish and pike. Last surveyed 1999.

Fish Species (9)

Rock Bass

Good · 55

Below-normal numbers · large fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

5.5"

Avg Weight

0.59 lbs

Catch rate: 0.25 per trap net · typical 0.5–2.8 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	0.50	5.5"	-	Survey seining
Aug 10, 1999	0.25	5.5"	0.59 lbs	Standard trap nets

Northern Pike

Good · 54

Typical numbers · average-size fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

18.3"

Avg Weight

1.46 lbs

Catch rate: 3.0 per gill net · typical 1.3–5.3 for a lake like this

Size of catchable northern pike17% keeper-size (24"+)

14–23" · 83%Largest sampled 27"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	3.00	18.3"	1.46 lbs	Standard gill nets
Aug 10, 1999	0.50	18.3"	1.87 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 10, 1999	0.50	18.3"	-	Survey seining

Yellow Perch

Average · 49

Above-normal numbers · small fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

5.7"

Avg Weight

0.09 lbs

Catch rate: 12.0 per gill net · typical 0.5–7 for a lake like this

Size of catchable yellow perch0% keeper-size (9"+)

5–8" · 100%Largest sampled 6"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	0.75	5.7"	0.10 lbs	Standard trap nets
Aug 10, 1999	12.00	5.7"	0.09 lbs	Standard gill nets

Black Crappie

Average · 37

Typical numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

6.1"

Avg Weight

0.29 lbs

Catch rate: 4.4 per trap net · typical 1.6–6.8 for a lake like this

Size of catchable black crappie3% keeper-size (10"+)

5–9" · 97%Largest sampled 10"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	4.00	6.1"	-	Survey seining
Aug 10, 1999	4.38	6.1"	0.29 lbs	Standard trap nets

Pumpkinseed

Average · 30

Typical numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

4.4"

Avg Weight

0.21 lbs

Catch rate: 2.1 per trap net · typical 0.5–3.3 for a lake like this

Size of catchable pumpkinseed0% keeper-size (8"+)

3–7" · 100%Largest sampled 6"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	2.12	4.4"	0.21 lbs	Standard trap nets

Bluegill

Poor · 22

Below-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

5.4"

Avg Weight

0.16 lbs

Catch rate: 3.0 per trap net · typical 4.3–34.3 for a lake like this

Size of catchable bluegill4% keeper-size (8"+)

3–7" · 96%Largest sampled 8"

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	11.50	5.4"	-	Survey seining
Aug 10, 1999	3.00	5.4"	0.16 lbs	Standard trap nets

Largemouth Bass

Insufficient

Seining survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

1.9"

Catch rate: 4.0 · Seining survey

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	4.00	1.9"	-	Survey seining
Aug 10, 1999	0.12	1.9"	0.06 lbs	Standard trap nets

Other species in this lake (2)

Rough fish, bullheads, and baitfish recorded in DNR surveys — present in the lake, but not typical angling targets.

White Sucker

Average · 32

Below-normal numbers · small fish

Gill-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

11.0"

Avg Weight

1.19 lbs

Catch rate: 1.0 per gill net · typical 1.2–4.9 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	1.00	11.0"	1.19 lbs	Standard gill nets

Yellow Bullhead

Poor · 17

Below-normal numbers · small fish

Trap-net survey · surveyed Aug 1999

Last surveyed 1999 — treat with caution

Avg Size

7.5"

Avg Weight

0.26 lbs

Catch rate: 0.12 per trap net · typical 1–18.9 for a lake like this

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Aug 10, 1999	1.00	7.5"	0.78 lbs	Standard gill nets
Aug 10, 1999	0.12	7.5"	0.26 lbs	Standard trap nets

Biologist Notes

August 10, 1999Pioneer is a 81 acre lake with 36 (44%) acres of littoral area and maximum depth of 42 feet. Pioneer Lake is located six miles east of Cotton, MN off…

Pioneer is a 81 acre lake with 36 (44%) acres of littoral area and maximum depth of 42 feet. Pioneer Lake is located six miles east of Cotton, MN off the Munger Shaw Road. Pioneer Lake has no developed access. Fish population investigations have been conducted in 1965 and 1999. Due to the small size of Pioneer Lake, only one experimental gillnet was set during the 1999 survey. Because of this limited gillnet effort, trapnet catch rates will be used to evaluate abundance for all species. Northern pike were sampled at a low rate in both gill and trapnets. Mean length of northern pike sampled in gillnets was 19.3 inches and mean length of northerns sampled in trapnets was 18.6 inches. Yellow perch were also sampled at a low rate during the 1999 lake survey. Size and growth of sampled yellow perch were both poor. Mean length was 6.0 inches and length at the beginning of their fourth year of life was 5.0 inches. Black crappie abundance indexed with assessment nets was 4.4 per lift in 1999. This index value was typical compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Size of sampled black crappie was good and growth was average. Black crappie mean length was 7.9 inches and length at the beginning of their fourth year of life was 7.0 inches. The 1994 and 1995 year classes were well represented in the distribution of ages for crappie aged from the 1999 survey. Bluegill abundance indexed with assessment nets was 3.0 per lift in 1999. This index value was low compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Size and growth of bluegill were both average. Bluegill mean length was 5.9 inches and length at the beginning of their fourth year of life was 5.1 inches. Other fish species sampled in Pioneer Lake during the 1999 lake survey included white sucker, yellow bullhead, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass and common shiner.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fish can you catch in Pioneer?

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Rock Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, and Pumpkinseed in Pioneer. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Is there public access at Pioneer?

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Pioneer. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

How deep is Pioneer?

Pioneer has a maximum depth of 42 feet and a mean depth of 16 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

When were the main sport fish in Pioneer last surveyed?

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Pioneer is from 1999. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.