Minnesota · St. Louis County
Little Stone Lake Fishing guide
Little Stone Lake sits in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and covers 169 acres, reaching 17 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 10.7 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 6 times, most recently in 2022, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers33.7per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 49 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 49 fish
2022Lengths measured · 41 fish
2012Lengths measured · 48 fish
2007Lengths measured · 64 fish
2002Northern pikeFair numbers7.3per gill net21"Typical32"Biggest
Lengths measured · 58 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 58 fish
2022Lengths measured · 54 fish
2012Lengths measured · 46 fish
2007Lengths measured · 58 fish
2002BluegillFair numbers40.5per trap net5"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 349 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 349 fish
2022Lengths measured · 199 fish
2012Lengths measured · 547 fish
2007Lengths measured · 161 fish
2002CrappieJust a few3.5per trap net5"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 48 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 48 fish
2022Lengths measured · 12 fish
2012Lengths measured · 66 fish
2007Lengths measured · 24 fish
2002Yellow perchGood numbers7per gill net5"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 49 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 49 fish
2022Lengths measured · 35 fish
2012Lengths measured · 13 fish
2007Lengths measured · 35 fish
2002Rates 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 Little Stone 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. At 10.7 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- 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. With 83% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze. A 17-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 10.7 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- 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. With 83% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 17-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
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 | 18" | 32" | 27" |
| 2012 | 17" | 36" | — |
| 2007 | 17" | 30" | 28" |
| 2002 | 18" | 28" | 22" |
| 1997 | 17" | 29" | 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 · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Jigs & bladed
Swim Jig + Paddletail Trailer
3.5–4.5" paddletail trailer on a bullet-nosed swim jig
Northern pike · Hardbaits
Weedless Spoon + Trailer (Silver Minnow)
3/8–1/2 oz weedless spoon
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
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
Little Stone (Stump) Lake is located about 16 miles to the northwest of Two Harbors, MN. Access is a gravel back-in on the south end of the lake off the Drummond Road. The Drummond Road is an old railroad grade and acts as a dam to impound the lake resulting in stump-strewn shallows. The lake is 181 acres with 140 acres (77%) littoral area and has a maximum depth of 17 feet. The 2022 survey was completed to update information about fish populations in Little Stone Lake. This was the first survey to be performed since Walleye stocking was discontinued in 2013.
A total of 46 Largemouth Bass were sampled by electrofishing. The catch rate of bass was 33.7 fish per hour of electrofishing on-time. The average length of Largemouth Bass was 14.7 inches and 49% of the catch was over 15 inches. Six year-classes were represented and growth for bass was found to be slow for the Duluth Area.
Read the full DNR narrative
Bluegill abundance of 40.5 per trapnet lift was above the normal range compared to similar lakes. The average length was 5.0 inches yet only two fish were over 8 inches long. All year-classes from 2013 to 2020 were represented indicating consistent recruitment and 60% of the catch was made up of strong year-classes in 2016 and 2020.
Black Crappie trapnet catch was within the normal range for similar Minnesota lakes. The gillnet catch for crappie was also within the normal range. The average length of Black Crappie was 6.8 inches and 13% of the catch was over 10 inches long. Seven ages of crappie were found with age-2 fish making up 45% of the catch. Growth of Black Crappie was slow compared to other Duluth Area lakes.
The Northern Pike gillnet catch was above the normal range compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type and higher than the previous two surveys. The average size of pike was 21.1 inches with the largest fish measuring 32.9 inches.
Walleye abundance of 0.7 fish per gillnet lift was below the normal range for similar type lakes in Minnesota. The length of sampled fish was large ranging from 20.2 to 27.8 inches. Two Walleye were aged with one 11 years old and a remnant from past stocking. The other was 6 years old from a year not stocked. Recruitment and natural reproduction appear to be sporadic with low numbers sampled.
The gillnet catch of Yellow Perch was within the normal range for similar Minnesota lakes. The average length of perch was small at 6.1 inches and only one perch was longer than 9 inches.
Other fish species sampled included Black Bullhead, Golden Shiner, Hybrid Sunfish, and Pumpkinseed.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Little Stone Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Little Stone 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
- Stump Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Little Stone Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Donna Lake · 18 ac · 2.9 mi
- Indian Lake · 57 ac · 3 mi
- White Lake · 123 ac · 3.3 mi
- Highland Lake · 111 ac · 4.6 mi
- Stewart Lake · 238 ac · 4.6 mi
- Big Bear Lake · 143 ac · 4.8 mi
- Pequaywan Lake · 425 ac · 5 mi
- Thomas Lake · 142 ac · 5.4 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Little Stone Lake?
Little Stone Lake reaches 17 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 9 ft; about 83% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Little Stone Lake?
Little Stone Lake covers 169 acres with about 3.6 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Little Stone Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Little Stone Lake average 10.7 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Little Stone Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2022) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Little Stone Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Little Stone Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Little Stone Lake have a public access?
Yes. Little Stone Lake has one public access site: Stump Lake (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in Little Stone Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 18"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1997.
When was Little Stone Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Little Stone Lake in 2022, the most recent of 6 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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