Minnesota › Best lakes › Smallmouth Bass › St. Louis County MN · ranked by public data
Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes by DNR Survey System and Lake-Scale Opportunity in St. Louis County, Minnesota 23 St. Louis County lakes have exact-water DNR survey evidence for smallmouth bass; 23 lakes with status, survey, or report evidence met our criteria, out of 848 documented lakes in the county. Updated July 2026.
Ranked within spring spawning mn class 5 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) — ranks restart at 1
1 92.5 system score
690 acres St. Louis County, MN
Ash Lake available
92.5 within-system score · 130,545.1 lake-scale opportunity index · 189.3 fish/hour · 2023 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 92.5/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 130,545.1 (189.3 fish/hour × 690 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 189.3 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2023 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 5 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 5 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 2 90.5 system score
1,250 acres St. Louis County, MN
Black Duck Lake available
90.5 within-system score · 225,530.2 lake-scale opportunity index · 180.44 fish/hour · 2017 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 90.5/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 225,530.2 (180.44 fish/hour × 1,250 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 180.44 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2017 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 5 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 5 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 3 66.2 system score
322 acres St. Louis County, MN
Little Long Lake limited
66.2 within-system score · 50,304.9 lake-scale opportunity index · 156.11 fish/hour · 2015 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 66.2/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 50,304.9 (156.11 fish/hour × 322 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 156.11 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2015 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 5 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 5 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 4 65.7 system score
728 acres St. Louis County, MN
Elephant Lake limited
65.7 within-system score · 63,414 lake-scale opportunity index · 87.1 fish/hour · 2024 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 65.7/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 63,414 (87.1 fish/hour × 728 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 87.1 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2024 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 5 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 5 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 5 21.2 system score
723 acres St. Louis County, MN
Ely Lake limited
21.2 within-system score · 9,161.6 lake-scale opportunity index · 12.67 fish/hour · 2017 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 21.2/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 9,161.6 (12.67 fish/hour × 723 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 12.67 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2017 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 5 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 5 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 6 6.7 system score
382 acres St. Louis County, MN
Armstrong Lake available
6.7 within-system score · 2,037.9 lake-scale opportunity index · 5.33 fish/hour · 2021 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 6.7/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 2,037.9 (5.33 fish/hour × 382 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 5.33 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2021 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 5 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 5 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset Ranked within spring spawning mn class 7 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) — ranks restart at 1
1 96.0 system score
2,921 acres St. Louis County, MN
Crane Lake limited
96.0 within-system score · 77,367.5 lake-scale opportunity index · 26.49 fish/hour · 2021 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 96.0/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 77,367.5 (26.49 fish/hour × 2,921 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 26.49 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2021 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 7 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 7 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 2 92.4 system score
1,695 acres St. Louis County, MN
Elbow Lake limited
92.4 within-system score · 49,259.9 lake-scale opportunity index · 29.06 fish/hour · 2023 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 92.4/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 49,259.9 (29.06 fish/hour × 1,695 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 29.06 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2023 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 7 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 7 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 3 0.0 system score
2,362 acres St. Louis County, MN
Bear Island Lake limited
0.0 within-system score · 2,929.5 lake-scale opportunity index · 1.24 fish/hour · 1998 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 0.0/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 2,929.5 (1.24 fish/hour × 2,362 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 1.24 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 1998 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 7 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 7 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset Ranked within spring spawning mn class 16 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) — ranks restart at 1
1 100.0 system score
1,904 acres St. Louis County, MN
Big Lake limited
100.0 within-system score · 3,579.5 lake-scale opportunity index · 1.88 fish/hour · 2019 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 100.0/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 3,579.5 (1.88 fish/hour × 1,904 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 1.88 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2019 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 16 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 16 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset Methodology
How this list is built County ranks use the same statewide exact-family contract; systems with at least two eligible county peers restart at #1. The score is 55% survey rate × acreage, 35% survey rate, and 10% recency. Catch-per-effort × acreage is only an opportunity index, never a literal fish count. Documented acreage plus verified public or shore access are eligibility gates. Unsupported methods stay documented but unranked. See the complete definitions on the statewide smallmouth bass ranking .
FAQ
St. Louis County smallmouth bass fishing FAQ Which smallmouth bass lakes receive a numeric county rank? 11 lakes receive at least one peer-backed, exact-lake numeric rank. Catch-per-effort systems separate species, phase, gear, unit, and sampled population; standardized adult-density estimates form their own system, so systems with at least two eligible county peers can each have a #1 in St. Louis County.
How many St. Louis County lakes have smallmouth bass? 23 St. Louis County lakes have exact-water DNR survey evidence. Numeric rank still requires an exact comparable family plus the acreage and access gates.
Source data: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder fisheries surveys, lake classes, morphology, and public-access records. Rankings are LakeList's computed opinion from public agency data, not a DNR endorsement. Conditions and regulations change — verify access and rules before you go.