Minnesota · Wright County
Limestone Lake Fishing guide
Limestone Lake sits in Wright County, Minnesota, and covers 234 acres, reaching 34 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 8.3 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 7 times, most recently in 2017, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge in the nets. That survey is 9 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers25.2per hr (electrofishing)8"Typical16"Biggest
Lengths measured · 65 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 65 fish
2017Lengths measured · 31 fish
2008Lengths measured · 18 fish
1998Northern pikeGood numbers12.7per gill net18"Typical32"Biggest
Lengths measured · 82 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 82 fish
2017Lengths measured · 41 fish
2008Lengths measured · 71 fish
1998Last recorded in the 1992 survey and not seen since.
BluegillJust a few17.9per trap net5"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 179 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 179 fish
2017Lengths measured · 418 fish
2008Lengths measured · 275 fish
1998CrappieJust a few1.2per trap net8"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 24 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 24 fish
2017Lengths measured · 43 fish
2008Lengths measured · 73 fish
1998Rates 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 Limestone Lake through the year
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.
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.
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 | Northern pike | Largemouth bass | Walleye |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 32" | 16" | 22" |
| 2008 | 30" | 19" | 23" |
| 1998 | 26" | 14" | 25" |
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:
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
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
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 2017 survey
Limestone Lake is a 188 acre recreational development lake located north of Maple Lake in north central Wright County. The lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet and an average summer clarity of about ten feet. There is a County-owned public access located on the north side of the lake. A standard lake survey was conducted in 2017 to monitor changes in the fishery from the last survey completed in 2008. In addition to the standard survey, an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) survey was conducted in late July. Those results will be summarized in a different report.
Emergent and floating leaf vegetation covered almost a third of the lake in June, primarily cattail and white waterlily. Submerged vegetation was not surveyed, but coontail and northern watermilfoil were the dominant species in 2008.
Read the full DNR narrative
Limestone Lake is managed for naturally occurring species and Walleye have not been stocked since 1992. There were three Walleye sampled by gill net in 2017 and they ranged in length from 21 to 23 inches.
The catch of Northern Pike was the highest recorded and above the expected range of values for similar lakes. Pike were small and ranged in length from 14 to 32 inches with an average length and weight of 19 inches and 1.5 pounds. Only eight percent of the Northern Pike sampled were longer than 24 inches.
Largemouth Bass were sampled during daytime electrofishing on May 23, 2017. A total of 61 Largemouth Bass were captured in 1.6 hours of sampling for a catch rate of 38.4/hour. This is slightly lower than the Sauk Rapids area daytime average of 43.3/hour. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 6 to 17 inches with an average length of 10 inches.
Bluegill catches were lower than previous surveys, but still within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Bluegill ranged in length from 3 to 8 inches with an average length of five inches.
The catch of Black Crappie was lower than previous surveys and lower than the range of expected values for similar lakes. Black Crappie ranged in length from 7 to 10 inches with an average length of 8 inches.
Yellow Perch numbers have historically have been low and 2017 was no exception. Only three yellow perch were sampled during the entire survey.
Other species sampled during the survey included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin (dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed and Yellow Bullhead.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Limestone Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Limestone 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
- Limestone Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Limestone Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Ember Lake · 59 ac · 0.8 mi
- Silver Lake · 83 ac · 1.4 mi
- Indian Lake · 139 ac · 2.1 mi
- Sugar Lake · 1,014 ac · 2.2 mi
- Sheldon Lake · 50 ac · 2.5 mi
- Locke Lake · 140 ac · 2.7 mi
- Millstone Lake · 200 ac · 2.8 mi
- Nixon Lake · 60 ac · 3.6 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Limestone Lake?
Limestone Lake reaches 34 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 12.3 ft; about 43% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Limestone Lake?
Limestone Lake covers 234 acres with about 5 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Limestone Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Limestone Lake average 8.3 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Limestone Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2017) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Limestone Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Limestone Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Limestone Lake have a public access?
Yes. Limestone Lake has one public access site: Limestone Lake (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Limestone Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 32"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1998.
When was Limestone Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Limestone Lake in 2017, the most recent of 7 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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