Cross River

How big is Cross River?

How deep is Cross River?

What kind of fish can you catch in Cross River?

Are there boat launches on Cross River?

Are there places to eat and drink near Cross River?

Cross River Lake is in eastern Lake County approximately ten miles north of Schroeder. The lake supports fisheries for Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Walleye. The public access is a short carry-in trail off US Forest Service Road 1226. The Cross River flows through the lake and connects it to other nearby waterbodies with game fish populations. The lake itself is small and shallow, covering just 78 acres and having a maximum depth of about seven feet. The bottom substrate is primarily muck and various species of emergent vegetation are common around the perimeter of the lake.

Black Crappie numbers have slowly increased in Cross River Lake since first being sampled in 1995. Although recruitment had been sporadic in the past, the results of the 2023 survey indicate year classes have been produced more consistently in recent years. This may help to explain the record high Black Crappie catch of 5.1 fish per trap net. Lengths ranged from 4.5 to 13.5" long with 26% longer than 10".

Northern Pike provide an additional opportunity for anglers. Most pike are of modest size, but a few fish do grow larger. Length of the 2023 catch averaged 20.3" with one fish over 40" sampled. Natural reproduction has consistently produced year classes of varying size in recent years, which indicates anglers should continue to have opportunities to catch pike into the foreseeable future.

Walleye are also a part of the fish community that can be targeted by anglers. The lake does not have much spawning habitat, which limits the amount of natural reproduction and recruitment to the fishery. Still, enough spawning does occur in the lake and adjoining rivers to produce sporadic year classes frequently enough to sustain the population in the lake.

White Sucker and Yellow Perch are important forage species but will be of little interest to anglers. There are opportunities to harvest suckers during their spring spawning run in the Cross River where it crosses Forest Service Road 1226 just upstream from the lake.

What is the average air temp for Cross River?

Are there any state parks near Cross River?