Little Vermilion

Little Vermilion is a 1,287 acre Class 7 lake on the Minnesota-Ontario border. The lake is 3.5 miles east of Crane Lake, Minnesota; however the lake is accessed by boat through Crane Lake and Sand Point Lake which is approximately an 8 mile route. The portion of Little Vermilion that lies in Minnesota is approximately 540 acres, and is entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Little Vermilion has an experimental regulation which states that all Walleye from 18 to 26 inches must be immediately released, with one over 26 inches allowed in possession. There is also a combined possession of six Walleye and Sauger, where a maximum of four can be Walleye. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Little Vermilion in 2021. Little Vermilion Lake continues to produce an excellent Walleye fishery. Walleye exceeded the expected range for abundance, and an average fish in the 2021 sample was 13.3 inches, with 30+ inch fish present in the survey. The high catch rates of 2-4 year old fish in 2021 should provide good Walleye angling opportunities in the coming years. Northern Pike catch rates were within the expected range for this class of lake and the average size was above average. An average Northern Pike from the 2021 sample was 2.8 pounds and ranged from 17.5 to 33.8 inches. Little Vermilion is a varied fishery with several species of interest to anglers. For the panfish angler, Black Crappie are present with fish over 13 inches sampled, and Bluegill were of average size for the area. Sauger and Yellow Perch catch rates were within the expected range for this class of lake. Only a few Smallmouth Bass were sampled, however nets are not appropriate gear for effectively sampling these fish, and there is likely a quality Smallmouth fishery here similar to the lakes that are connected to Little Vermilion. Other species present during the survey included White Sucker, Silver Lamprey, Rock Bass, Redhorse, Burbot, and a single Mooneye. Little Vermilions inclusion in the Namakan Reservoir and Boundary Waters Canoe Area provides pristine surroundings to access a diverse fishery.

Little Vermilion is a 1,287 acre class-7 lake on the Minnesota-Ontario border. The lake is 3.5 miles east of Crane Lake, Minnesota; however the lake is accessed by boat through Crane Lake and Sand Point Lake which is approximately an 8 mile route. The portion of Little Vermilion that lies in Minnesota is approximately 540 acres, and is entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Little Vermilion has an experimental regulation which states that all Walleye from 17 to 28 inches must be released. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Little Vermilion in 2016. Little Vermilion is a diverse fishery with several species of interest to anglers. Black Crappie are present and they average 9.3 inches in length, and fish over 11 inches were sampled. Bluegill are also present in the lake. They average 7.2 inches and fish over 8 inches were in the sample. Northern Pike numbers are within the expected range for this type of lake, and an average fish is near 23 inches. Sauger catch rates were also within the expected range for the lake. Only a few Smallmouth Bass were sampled, however nets are not appropriate gear for effectively sampling these fish, and there is likely a quality smallmouth fishery here similar to the lakes that are connected to Little Vermilion. Walleye are abundant, greatly surpassing the expectations for catch rates in this type of lake. Probably due to their great density, these fish are slow growing. An average Walleye from the 2016 sample was just over 12 inches. Yellow Perch are also abundant, and average 6.4 inches. Other species present during the survey included Redhorse, Rock Bass, Silver Lamprey, and White Sucker.

Little Vermilion is a 1,331 acre lake which sits along the border between Minnesota and the Province of Ontario. The Minnesota portion (540 acres) is located entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, however there are no outboard motor restrictions on this body of water. The lake is also part of the Namakan Reservoir, which includes Crane, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point Lakes. There is no road access so most anglers access the lake by water route from Crane through Sand Point Lakes. Little Vermilion is also located immediately downstream of the Loon River, Loon Lake, and Lac La Croix. A number of fish species were captured during the 2011 investigation. Cisco was the most abundant species in the catch followed by walleye. Additional gamefish captured included northern pike, sauger, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, and smallmouth bass. Walleye gill-net abundance in 2011 was 12.50 fish/set and those exceeding 17 inches in length (0.50/net) was similar to the two previous investigations on Little Vermilion Lake. Compared to other similar lakes, abundance of walleye in 2011 was above average. Lengths of walleye captured in this investigation ranged from 7.2 to 22.8 inches and averaged 12.3 inches. The distribution of lengths when compared to previous surveys suggested a population that has not had a change in size structure. Growth patterns however for Little Vermilion walleye appear to be very slow. Northern pike gill-net abundance was 3.75 fish/set which is very comparable to the previous surveys in this lake and higher than 75% of other similar lakes in the state. Lengths of northern pike ranged from 16.9 to 35.0 inches with an average of 22.6 inches. The bluegill trap-net abundance of 3.33 fish/set was the highest of any of the previous investigations. Average abundance and individual weight (0.30 lbs) were slightly better than other similar lakes in the state. Bluegill lengths ranged from 6.4 to 8.7 inches with a mean of 7.3 inches. Other notable species captured in the 2011 gill-net investigation included black crappie, burbot, cisco, lake whitefish, rock bass, sauger, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, white sucker, and yellow perch.

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

Little Vermilion has a maximum depth of 52 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Vermilion is from 2021.

Yes — Little Vermilion has confirmed spiny waterflea. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.