Minnesota · Cass County

Ox Yoke Lake Fishing guide

Ox Yoke Lake covers 185 acres in Cass County, Minnesota, reaching 42 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 13.8 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 9 times, most recently in 2022, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 42 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface185 ac

Max depth42 ft

Clarity13.8 ft

Littoral47%

Surveyed2022

How to fish Ox Yoke Lake through the year

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 13.8 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. On a lake that drops to 42 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
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. At 13.8 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. On a lake that drops to 42 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
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	Yellow perch
2022	34"	15"	7"
2014	33"	16"	7"
2006	32"	16"	8"
1999	33"	19"	8"
1994	33"	15"	8"

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

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)

#2–#4 in-line spinner

1–10 ftmoderate

Shop inline spinners →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

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Yellow perch · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

Shop curly-tail grubs →

Yellow perch · Soft plastics

Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic

1–1.5" micro plastic

2–15 ftdead slow

Shop micro plastics →

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

Ox Yoke Lake is a 187-acre lake with 2.87 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 42 feet located north of Backus, MN. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources owned public access is located on the south shore. The MNDNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Ox Yoke Lake is in Lake Class 31; lakes in this class are generally clear and productive with moderate depth. The lake is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie and secondarily for Northern Pike, Bluegill, and Yellow Perch. A 10 Sunfish possession limit was implemented in 1996 to improve size structure. This regulation showed initial improvements which were not sustained over the long-term, and was converted to a 5 Sunfish daily limit (statewide possession limit still applies) in 2022.

Ox Yoke Lake is a great multi-species lake. Black Crappie were above management goals and ranged in length from 4 to 11 inches long with an average length of 7 inches. Bluegill numbers in 2022 were the lowest recorded and did not meet management goals. Bluegill ranged in length from 3 to 8 inches with an average length of 5 inches. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 6 to 17 inches with an average length and weight of 12 inches and 1.2 pounds. Northern Pike numbers exceeded management goals, and ranged in length from 9 to 34 inches with an average length and weight of 20 inches and 2.0 pounds.

Read the full DNR narrative

Other species sampled were Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.

People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Ox Yoke Lake however, Purple Loosestrife is found on the lake's shore. AIS are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Ox Yoke Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Ox Yoke 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.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Cass County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Ox Yoke Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Ox Yoke Lake depth map

Ox Yoke Lake depth contour map, Cass County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 42 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Willard Lake · 8 ac · 0.8 mi
Five Point Lake · 251 ac · 1 mi
Horseshoe Lake · 260 ac · 1.3 mi
Big Portage Lake · 902 ac · 2.3 mi
Beuber Lake · 132 ac · 2.6 mi
Sanborn Lake · 220 ac · 2.6 mi
Johnson Lake · 90 ac · 2.8 mi
Pleasant Lake · 1,099 ac · 3.1 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Ox Yoke Lake?

Ox Yoke Lake reaches 42 ft at its deepest point; about 47% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Ox Yoke Lake?

Ox Yoke Lake covers 185 acres with about 2.9 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Ox Yoke Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Ox Yoke Lake average 13.8 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Ox Yoke Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2022) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Ox Yoke Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Ox Yoke Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Ox Yoke Lake have a public access?

Yes. Ox Yoke Lake has one public access site: Ox Yoke Lake (trailer launch).

How big do northern pike get in Ox Yoke Lake?

The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 34"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1994.

When was Ox Yoke Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Ox Yoke Lake in 2022, the most recent of 9 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Ox Yoke Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Ox Yoke Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report