Bone

Bone Lake is a eutrophic, class 24 lake located in Washington County. The lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet and is 221 acres in surface area, with 124 acres classified as littoral (56%). The lake is listed as impaired for excess nutrients and unacceptable levels of biological indicators. The primary management species for Bone Lake is Walleye, and the secondary management species are Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. The Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District installed fish barriers on the outlet and on the inlet from Moody Lake in the fall of 2012. These structures, in conjunction with subsidized commercial fishing, are intended to reduce the rough fish population to negligible levels. A public boat access is located at the northwest corner of the lake. This public boat access is owned by Washington County and operated by DNR Parks and Trails. Prior to 2017, Walleye fingerlings were stocked at an annual rate of 1.0 pounds per littoral acre (125 pounds). Beginning in 2017, after an analysis of stocking performance, the stocking rate was decreased to an annual rate of 0.65 pounds per littoral acre (81 pounds). This report details the most recent gill net survey from June of 2024. The previous gill net survey was conducted in June of 2021. Walleyes were sampled using gill nets at a rate of 4.8 fish per net. This rate is above average for the lake class and is the highest catch rate for Walleye in Bone Lake since 2006. Fish size was slightly below average for the lake class, with an average length of 16.8 inches and a range of 10.4 to 20.6 inches. Most Walleyes sampled were 16-20 inches in length and the age distribution was dominated by 5-year-old fish. This may be attributable to Walleyes stocked in 2020 being one year old fish, effectively doubling the relative number of fish stocked for the 2019 "year class". The long-range management goal of maintaining a Walleye catch rate greater than or equal to 3 fish per net is being met. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 2.3 fish per gill net. This catch rate is below average for the lake class but is typical for Bone Lake. Fish size was above average for the lake class, with an average length of 24.7 inches. Northern pike ranged from 21.9 to 30.6 inches in total length. Although the previous gill net survey revealed a considerable number (34%) of Northern pike to be greater than 30 inches in length, no fish of notable length were captured in this survey. Although a greater number of Yellow Perch were captured in this gill net survey (7 fish) than the previous survey (1 fish), the Yellow Perch catch rate was very low at just 1.2 fish per net. The next lowest catch rate was observed in 1981 with 7 fish per net. The gill net survey conducted in 2018 showed a very high catch rate of 76 fish per net, indicating a notable decline in Yellow Perch abundance within the last 6 years. The average length for Yellow Perch was just 6.1 inches. Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie were also sampled in gill nets; however, summer gill nets typically do not produce reliable data to estimate abundance or size structure for these species. Other fish species were sampled including Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, and White Sucker.

Bone Lake is a fertile, eutrophic basin located in a rural area of the city of Scandia, Minnesota. It covers an area of 221 acres, of which 124 are littoral, with a maximum depth of 30 ft. The lake is listed as impaired for excess nutrients and unacceptable levels of biological indicators. The Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District installed fish barriers on the outlet and on the inlet from Moody Lake in the fall of 2012. These structures, in conjunction with subsidized commercial fishing, are hoped to reduce the rough fish population to negligible levels. There is a public boat access at the northwest corner of the lake which is owned by Washington County but operated by DNR Parks and Trails. There is undeveloped shoreline along the north shore owned by the City of Scandia which is popular with shore anglers. Walleye is the primary management species and fingerlings had been stocked in the lake at one pound/littoral acre since 1982. Walleye stocking success was assessed starting in 2017, and management plans have been adjusted. In 2017, the stocking rate was changed to 0.65lb/littoral acre annually. Subsequent surveys will monitor for any resulting change in the walleye population. The lake was surveyed using gill nets in June 2021. The previous survey was conducted in 2018. Walleyes were sampled in gill nets at a rate of 3.8 fish per net. This is the highest rate sampled since 2006. Fish size was slightly smaller than average with a mean length of 14.4 inches and a range of 9 to 27 inches. The majority of those fish were less than 20 inches long and the age distribution was dominated by 2 year old fish. This is not surprising, as the 2020 stocking was done with yearling fish that effectively doubled the relative number of fish in the 2019 "year class." The oldest individual was aged at 12 years old indicating some persistence of year classes in the lake. The long range management goal of maintaining a catch rate in excess of 3 fish per net is being met. Northern Pike were sampled at the highest rate in the lake's history at 5.8 fish per gill net. Despite this high catch rate, fish sizes were of sizes desirable to anglers, with a mean length of 27 inches. Fish ranged from 17.1 to 37.8 inches in length. Fish were well distributed through this range with 34% of fish over 30 inches. Only one Yellow Perch was sampled in the survey. This is the lowest catch rate in the history of the lake at 0.17 fish per net. The next lowest catch rate was observed in 1981 with 7 fish per net. The previous survey was the highest catch rate since 1975 with 76 fish per net and surveys back to 2006 all had catch rates exceeding 35 fish per net. The one fish sampled was 7.5 inches long. This survey was primarily targeting Walleye and Northern Pike and only gill net were used to sample them. While a number of other game fish were sampled, gill nets do not offer reliable data to infer anything about their abundances. Other fish species sampled were: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Bone Lake was conducted on July 24th, 2019 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations, but one station was sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample six stations, a 15-foot seine was used at three stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 13 species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (Iowa Darters) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (Common Carp). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from the week of June 19th, 2018 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g. Banded Killifish, Iowa Darters, Smallmouth Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey indicates Bone Lake is in poor health as indicated by an FIBI score below the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Lower St. Croix River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Largemouth Bass, and Green Sunfish in Bone. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Bone has a maximum depth of 30 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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