Red Rock Lake

How big is Red Rock Lake?

How deep is Red Rock Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Red Rock Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Red Rock Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Red Rock Lake?

Red Rock Lake is part of the headwaters of the Rainy River system, discharging north through Saganaga and Saganagons Lakes. Primary and secondary management species are lake trout and northern pike. The 2023 standard lake survey was conducted to monitor the fish community in Red Rock Lake, record current limnological conditions, evaluate management goals for lake trout and northern pike populations and determine if spiny waterflea had become established.

No lake trout were sampled, despite the addition of multiple deep water gill net sets for comparison to historical sampling. As similar to other local lakes stocking efforts appear unsuccessful at establishing a naturally reproducing lake trout population within the lake. Due to the apparent failure of stocking, lake trout will probably be removed as a management species in Red Rock Lake.

Northern pike abundance in the 2023 survey was consistent with historical values recorded within Red Rock Lake and is above average for similar area lakes. Northern pike ranged from 9.5 to 31.3 inches with a mean length of 20.9 inches. Northern pike are numerous enough to be of interest to anglers with some large fish present in the population.

The walleye catch was similar to the previous surveys in Red Rock Lake, but below average for similar area lakes. Size structure of walleye captured in the survey ranged from 10.4 to 24.7 inches with a mean length of 17.3 inches. Aging results indicated the presence of 6 year classes. Growth appeared to be relatively fast with average age 5 annuli formation at 17.32 inches compared to an area average of 16.0 inches. The 2023 survey suggests that walleye would have provided a quality fishing opportunity in Red Rock Lake.

The smallmouth bass catch was again low in Red Rock Lake and below average for similar area lakes. However the size range of these fish were 11.2 to 16.3 inches and would be of interest to anglers.

The deepwater fish community consisted of cisco, lake whitefish and burbot. Catch rates for lake whitefish and burbot were less than one fish per net, but were similar to historic values. Lake whitefish captured were large (20 to 25 inches). Cisco still appear to be the dominant deepwater species present within the lake, but catch rates have been declining. Aging results indicated both lake whitefish and cisco reached relatively old ages. The two largest lake whitefish captured were 34 and 37 years old, while the largest cisco (17 and 19 inches) were 22 and 24 years old respectively.

Spiny water flea was detected with horizontal zooplankton tows. This confirmed the suspicion that they had migrated over from Saganaga Lake and successfully invaded Red Rock. Cook County, Minnesota lakes continue to be susceptible to aquatic invasive species introductions. Invasive species have the potential to significantly alter fish communities and overall lake health. Anglers should clean watercraft and fishing gear, drain all water, and dispose of unused bait in the trash to prevent accidental introductions.