Krays

The Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL) is located in south-central Stearns County, near the city of Richmond. A dam built in the early 1900's on the Sauk River in Cold Spring created the SRCL a reservoir consisting of nine lakes and approximately 3,200 acres of water. The Sauk River drains a large portion of central Minnesota before flowing through the SRCL and ultimately influences water quality trends within the SRCL. Although non-point source pollution continues to be a concern, some major contributors of nutrient loading, such as municipal wastewater discharge, were greatly reduced in the 1980's and 1990's. Efforts continue to be made to address the existing non-point pollution sources and improve the water quality within SRCL. Zebra mussels were found within the SRCL in 2018, and Eurasian watermilfoil was found in Horseshoe Lake in 2021. Anglers are encouraged to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) by cleaning, draining, and drying all equipment used in infested waters. The SRCL is managed for Walleye, Muskellunge, and Channel Catfish and a targeted survey was conducted in 2024 using boat electrofishing and gillnets to update data on popular game species last collected in 2021. To provide a larger sample size, all lakes east of County Rd 71 (Zumwalde, Schneider, Great Northern, Krays, Knaus, and Bolfing; SRCL East Lakes) were combined for the analysis and will be referred to as the East Lakes in this report. Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass were surveyed during the daytime using boat electrofishing from May 13 to May 17, 2024. The Largemouth Bass catch increased (29/hr) while Smallmouth Bass catch decreased (2/hr) compared to the results from the 2018 survey (20/hr and 7/hr). The catch results from 2024 were below the management goal for daytime electrofishing (50/hr) and the lowest on record for Smallmouth Bass. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from three to 19 inches with an average length of 9.2, while Smallmouth Bass ranged in length from 12 to 19 inches with an average length of 17 inches. Despite the poor sampling numbers, the SRCL remains a popular bass fishing destination. Walleye is one of the primary management species within the SRCL. The catch of Walleye in the East Lakes in 2024 (2.5/net) was lower than 2018 (4.2/net), but similar to the long-term average for the East Lakes (2.4/net) and within the ranged of expected values for similar lakes. Walleye ranged in length from nine to 22 inches, with an average length and weight of 16 inches and 1.6 pounds. Anglers can expect decent fishing for eater sized walleye as 65% were longer than 15 inches while only 4% were longer than 20 inches. Walleye growth within the SRCL is average with both males and females reaching 15 inches by age three. Walleye stocking was discontinued on the SRCL after 2017 because natural reproduction was documented by area staff within the SRCL during unstocked years and the abundance of young walleye sampled during fall electrofishing were at or above those levels observed during stocked years. Northern Pike abundance increased from 3.9/net (2021) to 11.0/net in 2024 and was above the range of expected values for the lakes. Northern Pike lengths ranged from 13 to 31 inches, with an average length and weight of 21.2 inches and 2.2 pounds. Fourteen percent of the Northern Pike sampled were longer than 26 inches, indicating that a lot of "hammer handle" pike are present within East Lakes. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small pike (less than 22.0 inches) to help increase the size structure of the population. Channel Catfish have historically been abundant within the SRCL and abundance in the East Lakes peaked in 2013 at 26.5/net and has been declining since. The catch in 2024 (6.1/net) was the lowest since 1990 (1.8/net). While catfish abundance has decreased the average size has increased. Catfish sampled ranged in length from 17 to 28 inches, with an average length and weight of 21.6 inches and 3.8 pounds. Anglers will find many Channel Catfish between 17 and 25 inches as 100% of the catfish sampled were longer than 17 inches and 21% were longer than 24 inches during the survey. Black Crappie gillnet abundance was very high between 1980 and 1995 ranging from 22 - 56/net. Since that time, catch rates have declined and become more realistic ranging from 2.3 - 12/net. The catch in 2024 (2.3/net) was lower than 2021 (5.3/net) but still within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Black Crappie ranged in length from five to 12 inches with an average length of 8.1 inches. Fifty-five percent of the crappie caught were longer than eight inches with 35% being longer than 10 inches. Anglers may have to search, but quality size crappies can be found in the East Lakes. Yellow Perch catches have been low the past four surveys in the East Lakes of the SRCL, but in 2024 Yellow Perch numbers rebounded significantly with a catch rate of 30.4/net which was the highest catch rate on record. Yellow Perch lengths ranged from five to nine inches and averaged six inches. Other species sampled in low numbers included: Black Bullhead, Black Redhorse, Bluegill, Common Carp, Greater Redhorse, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

The Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL) is located in south central Stearns County, near the city of Richmond. A dam on the Sauk River at Cold Spring allows users to access over 3,200 acres by water. The Sauk River drains a large portion of central Minnesota before flowing through the chain of lakes. Combined with drainage from the Long Lake sub watershed to the south, the total watershed of the chain is nearly 600,000 acres. Although non-point source pollution (agricultural runoff) continues to be a concern, some major contributors of nutrient loading (such as municipal wastewater discharge) were greatly reduced in the 1980's and 1990's. Efforts continue to be made to address existing non-point pollution sources, but most of the lakes in the chain remain classified as eutrophic. The Sauk River Chain was re-surveyed will gill nets in 2021, netting results from lakes east of County Road 71 (Zumwalde, Great Northern, Krays, Knaus, Schneider, and Bolfing (East Lakes)) were combined for this report to provide a larger sample size. From 2000 to 20017, Cedar Island and Horseshoe Lakes were stocked every other year with Walleye fry by the DNR. Beginning in 2015, the DNR started annual fall electrofishing to document the consistency and extent of natural reproduction in the SRCL. After evidence of very strong naturally reproduced year classes in 2014 and 2016, the DNR decided to suspend all Walleye stocking in 2018 to determine if natural reproduction could sustain the Walleye population. Since that time, annual fall electrofishing catch rates of young-of the-year (YOY) in the East lakes have consistently been at or above rates observed during stocked years. The Walleye catch in the East Lakes in 2021 was similar to 2018 but the overall catch rate across all lakes in the SRCL was at an all-time high. Furthermore, 89% of the catch was from non-stocked years. Walleye ranged in length from 10 to 23 inches and averaged 16 inches and 1.4 pounds. Walleye growth was fast reaching 17 inches by age 4. The catch rate of Northern Pike in 2021 was similar to 2018 and within the range of expected values for lakes similar to the Sauk River Chain. Since 1980, catch rates of Northern Pike in the East Lakes have been relatively stable. Northern Pike ranged in length from 16 to 31 inches with an average length and weight of 22 inches and 2.2 pounds. Nine percent of Northern Pike sampled were longer than 26 inches and two percent were longer than 30 inches. The Yellow Perch catch rate in 2021 was similar to 2018 but below the expected range for similar lakes. Yellow Perch ranged in length from five to nine inches and averaged seven inches. Prior to the 2003 survey, catch rates of Yellow Perch were significantly higher on these lakes. Channel Catfish were introduced into the chain in 1976 and have become well established. In the 1985 and 1990 surveys, Channel Catfish were sampled at relatively low numbers in the East Lakes, but the population expanded in the early 1990s, reaching an all-time high of 26.5/ gill net in 2013. The Channel Catfish population appears to have declined as catch rates have decreased for the second consecutive survey, and averaged 14.3/ net in 2021. Channel Catfish ranged in length from 10 to 27 inches with an average length and weight of 20 inches and 3 pounds. Reproduction has been consistent as 17 age classes were sampled however the majority (82%) of the catch were age-10 or older. Catfish growth was slow reaching 17.8 inches by age 5. The Black Crappie catch in 2021 was similar to 2018 in the East Lakes and still within the range of expected values for the lake class. Black Crappie ranged in length from five to 12 inches with an average length of nine inches. Eight year classes of crappie were sampled but the majority (82%) were age-3 and younger. Growth of crappie was fast, reaching an average length of 9.7 inches in three years. Gill nets are not normally used to assess relative abundance of Bluegill, but a total of 50 Bluegill were sampled from the East Lakes ranging in length from four to nine inches with an average length of 7.4 inches. Six years classes were represented in the age sample with 84% being age-4 or younger. Bluegill growth was fast, reaching seven inches in three years. Since 2011, Horseshoe and Cedar Island lakes have each been stocked with 515 Muskellunge fingerlings every other year. Standard summer surveys are not well suited to evaluate Muskellunge populations, they are better evaluated using spring surveys when adult Muskellunge concentrate in the shallows to spawn;. Spring surveys have not been conducted to assess the Muskellunge population yet because the population is still developing. However anglers have reported catching fish in excess of 40 inches in length. Spring electrofishing is the best gear for sampling bass, but was not conducted in this survey. However, low numbers Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass were caught in the gill nets. Other species sampled in low numbers included: Black and Brown bullhead, Pumpkinseed, Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker, and Yellow bullhead.

The Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL) is located in south central Minnesota, near the city of Richmond. A dam on the Sauk River at Cold Spring allows users to access over 3,200 acres by water. The Sauk River drains a large portion of central Minnesota before flowing through the chain of lakes. Combined with drainage from the Long Lake sub watershed to the south, the total watershed of the chain is nearly 600,000 acres. Although non-point source pollution (agricultural runoff) continues to be a concern, some major contributors of nutrient loading (such as municipal wastewater discharge) were greatly reduced in the 1980's and 1990's. Efforts continue to be made to address existing non-point pollution sources, but most of the lakes in the chain remain classified as hypereutrophic. The Sauk River Chain was re surveyed in 2018, netting results from lakes east of County Road 71-(Zumwalde, Great Northern, Krays, Knaus, Schneider, and Bolfing (East Lakes)) were combined for this report to provide a larger sample size. Largemouth Bass were assessed during the spring by day time electrofishing. Portions of Zumwalde, Great Northern, Krays, Schneider, and Bolfing were sampled. Catch rates were up from previous surveys but were approximately half the rate typically observed in other lakes within the Sauk Rapids management area. A late spring along with rapid warmup likely affected seasonal patterns as most bass sampled came from deeper water making it much harder to effectively sample bass with traditional electrofishing gear. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 7 to 19 inches with an average length of 12 inches. Of the catchable size Largemouth Bass (greater than 8 inches), 43% were greater than 12 inches and 20% were greater than 15 inches. Smallmouth Bass comprised 25% of the bass sampled by electrofishing and ranged in length from 7 to 20 inches with an average length of 14 inches. The catch rate of Northern Pike in 2018 was within the range of expected values for lakes similar to the Sauk River Chain, and showed a slight increase in abundance from the 2013 survey. Since 1980, catch rates of Northern Pike in the East Lakes have been relatively stable. Northern Pike ranged in length from 12 to 35 inches with an average length and weight of 23 inches and 2.6 pounds. Twenty-four percent of Northern Pike sampled were longer than 26 inches and 10% were longer than 30 inches. Cedar Island and Horseshoe Lakes are stocked every two years with Walleye fry by the DNR. Migration among the lakes has been verified by fall electrofishing in 2011, 2015, and 2017 when fingerings were sampled throughout the eastern portion of the chain where none were stocked. In addition, fall electrofishing was conducted in 2018 to check for natural reproduction and young of the year Walleye were sampled at a rate higher than the average rate observed during years when fry had been stocked. The Walleye catch in 2018 was above average compared to other lakes like those in the Sauk River Chain, and higher than the 2013 survey. Walleye ranged in length from 9 to 27 inches and averaged 17 inches and 1.7 pounds. Walleye growth was fast reaching 17.4 inches by age 4. The Yellow Perch catch rate in 2018 was similar to 2013 and below the expected range for similar lakes. Yellow Perch ranged in length from 5 to 9 inches and averaged 7 inches. Prior to the 2003 survey, catch rates of Yellow Perch were significantly higher on these lakes. Channel Catfish were introduced into the chain in 1976 and have become well established. In the 1985 and 1990 surveys, Channel Catfish were sampled at relatively low numbers in the East Lakes, but the population appeared to expand in the early 1990s. Schneider Lake has been the exception, as the catch rate here has remained low. The Channel Catfish population appears to have leveled off and catch rates have actually declined slightly for the first time since being introduced. Channel Catfish ranged in length from 10 to 30 inches with an average length and weight of 19 inches and 2 pounds. The Black Crappie catch in 2018 decreased from 2013 in the East Lakes, but was still within the range of expected values for the lake class. Black Crappie ranged in length from 5 to 13 inches with an average length of 9 inches. The Bluegill catch in 2018 was similar to 2013 and remained within the range of expected values for the lake class. Bluegill ranged in length from 3 to 10 inches with an average length of 6.4 inches. Fifty-nine percent of the Bluegill sampled were longer than 6 inches and 17% were longer than 8 inches. Since 2011, Horseshoe and Cedar Island lakes have been each stocked with 515 Muskellunge fingerlings every other year. Standard summer surveys are not well suited to evaluate Muskellunge populations, they are better evaluated using spring surveys when adult Muskellunge concentrate in the shallows to spawn. Spring surveys have not been conducted to assess the Muskellunge population yet because the population is still developing, however anglers have reported catching fish in excess of 40 inches in length. Other species sampled during the 2018 survey included: Bigmouth Buffalo, Black and Brown bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed, Shorthead and Silver redhorse, White Sucker, and Yellow bullhead.

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

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

Krays has a maximum depth of 40 feet and a mean depth of 7 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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