Ash

Ash Lake is a moderately productive Class 5 lake located approximately 12 miles north of Orr, MN. It has a total surface area of 669 acres, with a maximum depth of 25 feet, and a maximum fetch (NE) of 1.8 miles. Approximately 28% (195 acres) of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Undeveloped forest and bogs dominate the surrounding watershed. Plants with an abundance rating of "common" during the 2013 survey included clasping leaf pondweed, narrow-leaf pondweed group, and water celery. Submerged vegetation grew to a maximum depth of 8 feet. Sand was the most common shoal water substrate, followed by boulder and detritus. Six inlets were identified. Three of the inlets had no visible flow, while the other three had very little velocity, ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 feet per second. The outlet forms the source of the Ash River. Current fishing regulations on Ash Lake for Walleye follow the statewide regulation, which is a 6-combination total possession limit with not more than 1 Walleye over 20". There is a special regulation set to improve Northern Pike size structure, which is a possession limit of three with only 1 over 36" and all Northern Pike between 24 - 36" inches must be immediately released. Black Crappie fishing regulation follows the statewide regulation with a 10-combination total possession limit. Sunfish fishing regulation follows the statewide regulation with a 20-combination total possession limit. Bass fishing regulations follow the Northeast Zone regulation, which is six combined Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass possession limit. Walleye gill-net catch rate was 8.0 fish per net which is above average for similar lakes. Catch rate was above the management goal of 5.0 fish per net for Ash Lake. Total length ranged from 7.5 to 29.9 inches and mean length was 12.9 inches. Average weight was 1.2 pounds which is average for similar class lakes. A total of 10 year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2-17 years. Ash Lake offers a good Walleye fishing opportunity, there are good numbers of Walleyes in Ash Lake with the chance to catch Walleye over 26 inches. Northern Pike gill-net catch rate was 0.8 fish per net, which is well below the average for similar class lakes. Catch rate was below the management goal of an abundance between 1.8 and 5.5 fish per gill net for Ash Lake. Total length ranged from 23.7 to 38.2 inches and the mean length was 28.9 inches. Mean weight of Northern Pike captured in gill nets was 6.4 pounds which is well above average for similar lakes. A total of four year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2 - 8 years. Ash Lake offers good fishing opportunities for Northern Pike. With a lower density population there may not always be a fish on the line but there is a good chance to catch Northern Pike in the mid-30" range. Black Crappie trap-net catch rate was 8.1 fish per net, which was above average for similar lakes. Total length ranged from 5.2 to 12.6 inches and the mean length was 9.6 inches. Mean weight was 0.5 pounds, which was above average for similar lakes. A total of seven year classes were present, and ages ranged from 3-12 years. Ash Lake offers a good fishing opportunity with quality Black Crappie in the system. Bluegill trap-net catch rate was 7.3 fish per net which is slightly below average for similar lakes. Total length ranged from 5.8 to 9.3 inches and the mean length was 7.7 inches. Mean weight captured in trap nets was 0.4 pounds which was above average for similar lakes. A total of seven year classes were present, and ages ranged from 3 - 11 years. Ash Lake offers a good fishing opportunity with quality Bluegill in the system. Smallmouth Bass abundance was 189.3 fish per hour of On-Time, which was greater than the Ash Lake historic average of 141.6 fish per hour of On-Time. Total length ranged from 5.1 to 17.1 inches and the mean was 9.5 inches. Average weight was 0.5 pounds. Eleven year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2-17 years. Ash Lake offers a good fishing opportunity with quality Smallmouth Bass in the system. Yellow Perch gill-net catch rate was 86.7 fish per net, which was well above the average for similar lakes. Total length ranged from 4.2 to 11.2 inches and the mean length was 7.8 inches. Mean weight was 0.2 pounds, which is above average for similar lakes. Six year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2-7 years. Yellow Perch can offer an additional fishing opportunity but also offers great forage for Walleye and Northern Pike.

Ash is a 690 acre lake located 12 miles north-northwest of Orr, MN. Ash is a fairly productive lake with a maximum depth of 25 feet and water clarity of just over 5 feet during the 2018 survey. Ash also has a long history of active fisheries management including special regulations for Northern Pike, stocking of Walleye fry and fingerlings, and removal of Yellow Perch. Ash Lake was sampled in 2018 as part of a regular rotation of lake surveys in the International Falls Management Area (IFMA). Black Crappie numbers were below the historic average for Ash Lake, but were still comparable to lakes similar to Ash. The average size was nearly 10 inches, and there were fish over 13 inches sampled during the 2018 survey. Bluegill numbers were also slightly less than the historic average for Ash Lake, but again were near the average when compared to similar lakes. Average size was greater than what would be expected. The average Bluegill measured 6.5 inches and some were measured at over 9 inches. Northern Pike continue to impress since a special regulation was put in place on Ash Lake. Catch rates were within the expected range, and the overall size structure is good. An average Northern Pike during the 2018 survey was 5 to 6 pounds. The average length was over 29 inches and they ranged in size from 24 to 38 inches, which is much larger than would be expected from a small shallow lake such as Ash. There is a high density Smallmouth Bass population in Ash Lake. Smallmouth Bass catch rates reached a historic high during the 2018 survey. The average length was just over 10 inches and fish over 18 inches were sampled. Walleye catch rates were the highest they've been since 1983, thanks to a pair of recent successful stocked year classes. Ash Lake is currently stocked with fingerlings in odd-numbered years, and the 2013 and 2015 year classes made up approximately 74% of the fish sampled during this survey. Walleye ranged from 7 to 29 inches and the average size was just over 15 inches. Walleye up to 17 years old were sampled, and 13 year classes were present. Yellow Perch numbers greatly exceeded what would be expected for similar lakes, but is still less than the historic average for Ash Lake. Ash has a history of producing great numbers of Yellow Perch, and is one of the few lakes where Yellow Perch removal has been used to manage a fishery. Despite the high numbers, some larger fish were sampled in 2018. The average length was nearly 8 inches, and some were measured over 10 inches. Other fish species sampled in low abundance include Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.

Ash Lake is a moderately clear 669 acre lake located 13 miles north of Orr, MN. Management efforts on this lake have primarily been directed toward Northern Pike and Walleye. Ash has a long history of Walleye stocking, and has had special regulations for Northern Pike since 2003. There has been a positive trend in the population structure of Northern Pike since the implementation of this regulation. Fish species sampled during the 2013 survey included Black Crappie, Bluegill, Golden Shiner, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch. Black Crappie catch rates were slightly above the median for similar lakes, as was the average weight for these fish. Fish up to 12 inches were sampled. Bluegill catch rates were high and the average weight of these fish was also slightly higher than Bluegill in similar lakes. Fish up to 10.5 inches were sampled. The growth rate of Bluegill is average for Area lakes. Northern Pike catch rates were within the expected range for similar lakes. Since the 2003 implementation of a 24-36 inch protected slot, Northern Pike growth rates and mean length have increased. The population structure has greatly improved since the protected slot was implemented as average fish are nearly 6 pounds and over 29 inches. For comparison, the assessment in 2002 showed an average Pike prior to implementation of the protected slot was 22.5 inches and less than 3 pounds. There is also potential to catch trophy fish as Pike over 38 inches were sampled during this survey. Smallmouth bass were sampled by electrofishing and the catch rates indicate that there are high numbers, and growth is slightly less than average for International Falls Management Area lakes. Average weight was 0.5 pounds and average length was 9.4 inches. There are a few bigger fish present though as a 19 inch individual was sampled by gill net. Angling for Walleye should be good as catch rates were much higher than the last survey in 2008, and are the highest seen since the 1980's. A good natural reproduction year class in 2010, and two successful stocked year classes in 2007 and 2011 have helped increase Walleye abundance. Average length was just over 16 inches. Yellow Perch are very abundant in comparison to similar lakes. The average length for sampled fish is 5.39 inches but fish up to 10.2 inches were caught.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Smallmouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Walleye, and Northern Pike in Ash. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Ash has a maximum depth of 25 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Ash is from 2023.

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