Minnesota · St. Louis County
Ash Lake Fishing guide
Ash Lake sits in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and covers 690 acres, reaching 25 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 7.6 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 15 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2025Excellent numbers8per gill net12"Typical29"Biggest
Lengths measured · 80 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 80 fish
2023Lengths measured · 99 fish
2018Lengths measured · 44 fish
2013Lengths measured · 7 fish
2008Only 7 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Smallmouth bassOne of the best around189.3per hr (electrofishing)9"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 253 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 253 fish
2023Lengths measured · 202 fish
2018Lengths measured · 180 fish
2013Lengths measured · 245 fish
2008BluegillJust a few7.3per trap net8"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 126 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 126 fish
2023Lengths measured · 121 fish
2018Lengths measured · 278 fish
2013Lengths measured · 29 fish
2008CrappieJust a few8.1per trap net9"Typical13"Biggest
Lengths measured · 99 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 99 fish
2023Lengths measured · 19 fish
2018Lengths measured · 44 fish
2013Lengths measured · 119 fish
2008Yellow perchOne of the best around86.7per gill net7"Typical11"Biggest
Lengths measured · 874 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 874 fish
2023Lengths measured · 551 fish
2018Lengths measured · 489 fish
2013Lengths measured · 950 fish
2008Last recorded in the 1987 survey and not seen since.
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Ash Lake through the year
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
Smallmouth bass
- Spring
- Smallmouth are on shallow rock, gravel and sand where they spawn.
- Early summer
- Smallmouth are post-spawn on rock points, gravel bars and the adjacent breaks.
- Summer
- Smallmouth are on rock humps, points and hard-bottom breaks.
- Fall
- Smallmouth are bunched tight on deep rock, so find one and you have found the school.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Walleye | Smallmouth bass | Northern pike |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 29" | 18" | 38" |
| 2018 | 29" | 18" | 37" |
| 2013 | 25" | 18" | 38" |
| 2008 | 28" | 17" | 35" |
| 2005 | 27" | 14" | 32" |
| 2002 | 21" | 16" | 37" |
| 1998 | 26" | 17" | 36" |
| 1995 | 24" | 17" | 33" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics
Ned Rig
2.75" finesse stickbait or craw-style Ned bait
Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics
Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)
4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DNR stocking records
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Stocked |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 11,365 fingerlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 18,130 fingerlings |
| 2021 | Walleye | 19,305 fingerlings |
| 2019 | Walleye | 18,321 fingerlings |
| 2017 | Walleye | 8,775 fingerlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2023 survey
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.
Read the full DNR narrative
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.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Ash Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Ash Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Ash Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Ash Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Black Duck Lake · 1,250 ac · 5.5 mi
- Swan Lake · 86 ac · 7.2 mi
- Chub Lake · 126 ac · 7.9 mi
- Elephant Lake · 728 ac · 8.9 mi
- Silver Lake · 129 ac · 9.1 mi
- Pelican Lake · 11,546 ac · 10.6 mi
- Moose Lake · 929 ac · 11.3 mi
- Bell Lake · 110 ac · 11.4 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Ash Lake?
Ash Lake reaches 25 ft at its deepest point; about 28% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Ash Lake?
Ash Lake covers 690 acres with about 6 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Ash Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Ash Lake average 7.6 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Ash Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, brook trout.
Is Ash Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.
Does Ash Lake have a public access?
Yes. Ash Lake has one public access site: Ash Lake (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Ash Lake?
The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 29"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1995.
When was Ash Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Ash Lake in 2023, the most recent of 15 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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