Minnesota · Stearns County
Kraemer Lake Fishing guide
Kraemer Lake sits in Stearns County, Minnesota, and covers 195 acres, reaching 30 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 5.5 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 5 times, most recently in 2022, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers24.1per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical19"Biggest
Lengths measured · 38 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 38 fish
2022Lengths measured · 69 fish
2007Northern pikeFair numbers9.2per gill net20"Typical34"Biggest
Lengths measured · 56 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 56 fish
2022Lengths measured · 58 fish
2007BluegillFair numbers48.1per trap net6"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 858 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 858 fish
2022Lengths measured · 312 fish
2007CrappieJust a few0.7per trap net8"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 57 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 57 fish
2022Lengths measured · 63 fish
2007Rates 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 Kraemer Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
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 | Largemouth bass | Northern pike | Walleye |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 19" | 34" | 24" |
| 2007 | 19" | 32" | 24" |
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:
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
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
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2022 survey
Kraemer Lake is 194-acre recreational development lake located two miles southwest of St. Joseph in eastern Stearns County. An access on the east side of the lake belongs to the St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club and use of the access is limited to members only. Most development has occurred along the north and east sides of the lake. The lake has moderate water clarity (six feet) and adequate dissolved oxygen to 13 feet during early-June. Kraemer Lake has a small watershed dominated by forest, pastureland, and agriculture. Emergent and floating-leaf vegetation covers 23% of the lake with cattail and white waterlily being the most common. Currently the only stocking taking place is Walleye fingerlings purchased by the Rod and Gun Club. This survey was conducted to update information last collected in 2007.
Kraemer Lake has an average bass population in terms of numbers; however, the size structure is excellent with a wide range of sizes available to anglers including fish up to 20 inches. The electrofishing catch was 24 per hour, which is less than the average daytime catch rate of 43 per hour for Sauk Rapids Area lakes. Forty-three percent of the bass sampled were larger than 15 inches in length.
Read the full DNR narrative
Anglers have an opportunity to catch good numbers of small Northern Pike in Kramer Lake as net catches have remained high despite continued low Yellow Perch numbers. The size of pike decreased from the previous survey and averaged 21 inches and 2.3 pounds; however, fish up to 35 inches were sampled with 11% of the pike being 26 inches or longer.
Walleye were caught in low numbers but fish up to 24 inches were sampled. Since 2016, approximately 800 Walleye fingerlings have been stocked annually by the St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club. It's likely that the high Northern Pike population is decreasing survival of the stocked fish (in the absence of Yellow Perch).
Kraemer Lake has a relatively high population of Bluegill, but the average length was only six inches. While no Bluegill over eight inches were sampled, 17% were larger than seven inches in length, compared to only 3% in 2007.
Black Crappie were sampled in relatively low numbers during the summer trap net survey, however gill net catches of Black Crappie were above average. Black Crappie up to 13 inches were sampled, however only 4% of crappie sampled were larger than 10 inches in length.
Other species sampled during the survey included: Black and Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.
Maintaining the water quality in Kraemer Lake should be a high priority of the county and landowners around the lake. Some effort may be needed to identify any sources of phosphorus and plans developed to reduce these sources. Buffer strips on inlets and lakeshore property are encouraged to reduce nutrients entering the lake. Maintaining adequate septics and keeping grass clippings and raked leaves out the lake will help reduce nutrients entering the lake, thus slowing algae and excess vegetation growth.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Kraemer Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Kraemer 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.
DNR bathymetry
Kraemer Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Island Lake · 116 ac · 1.6 mi
- Sagatagan Lake · 227 ac · 1.8 mi
- Little Watab Lake · 57 ac · 3.3 mi
- Achman Lake · 47 ac · 4.1 mi
- Big Watab Lake · 246 ac · 4.1 mi
- Rossier Lake · 37 ac · 4.2 mi
- Watab Lake · 97 ac · 4.8 mi
- Linneman Lake · 110 ac · 5.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Kraemer Lake?
Kraemer Lake reaches 30 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 13 ft; about 54% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Kraemer Lake?
Kraemer Lake covers 195 acres with about 2.5 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Kraemer Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Kraemer Lake average 5.5 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Kraemer Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2022) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Kraemer Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Kraemer Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
How big do largemouth bass get in Kraemer Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 19"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2007.
When was Kraemer Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Kraemer Lake in 2022, the most recent of 5 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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