Cross Lake

How big is Cross Lake?

How deep is Cross Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Cross Lake?

What are the closest cities to Cross Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Cross Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Cross Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Cross Lake North

Cross Lake South

Are there boat launches on Cross Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Cross Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for Cross Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations Cross Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Cross Lake?

Cross Lake is a fertile 943 acre lake in lake located near the town of Pine City, MN in southern Pine County. The lake is primarily managed for Walleye and Muskellunge. Approximately 500 pounds of Walleye fingerlings are stocked in odd-numbered years and 500 Muskellunge fingerlings are stocked annually. A survey consisting of 12 gill nets, 12 trap nets, and night electrofishing was conducted in June of 2022 to assess fish populations. The previous survey was conducted in 2018.

Gillnet catch of Walleye was 1.4 per net, which is an increase from the previous survey. Walleye ranged from 7.8 to 21.4 inches in length in 2022 compared to 12.3 to 22.2 inches in length in 2018. Walleye averaged 13.8 inches in 2022 compared to 18.2 inches in 2018. Walleye lengths were good, with 41% of the catch over 12 inches.

Gill net catch of Northern Pike was 3.1 fish per net. Pike ranged from 14.4 to 33.8 inches in length and averaged 22.1 inches in 2022. The percentage of fish over 26 inches in the total catch was 14% in 2022 compared to 44% in 2018. Average size of pike has increased from 21.9 inches in 2018 to 27.2 inches in 2022. Anglers can expect to catch good numbers of pike over 26 inches.

Black Crappie were caught in gill nets at a rate of 10.2 fish per net which is twice as high as the previous survey. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 4.2 to 11.8 inches with 41% of the catch over 8 inches. There are also White Crappie present in Cross Lake. The size of the White Crappie sampled was quite large with the average weight being 0.8 lbs. which is substantially larger than similar lakes. The size of the White Crappie sampled were between 6.8 and 12.8 inches. The outlook for Black crappie fishing on Cross lake is good, with the chance to catch an occasional White Crappie.

In the Spring of 2022, a special regulation was implemented on Cross Lake which decreased the bag limits from 20 to 10 sunfish in order to protect quality sized Bluegills. The 2022 Sunfish survey is part of an assessment to monitor the special regulation to determine if it is effective in maintaining current sunfish size structure on Cross Lake. We want to be proactive and protect the current size structure of sunfish on Cross Lake to provide anglers the opportunity to catch quality sized Sunfish for years to come. The 2022 survey captured a total of 53 sunfish. The sunfish trap net catch rate was 5.0 fish per net. Sunfish lengths ranged from 3.8 to 9.1 inches with 90% of the catch over 6 inches and 66% of the catch over 8 inches. The average length of sunfish was 8.0 inches.

The Yellow Perch catch rate of 11.5 fish per gill net is slightly above average for this lake. The 2022 survey indicated that perch ranged from 3.4 to 9.5 inches in length and averaged 7.2 inches. Anglers can expect to catch good numbers of quality size perch, with 62% of the gillnet catch over 7 inches.

The Largemouth Bass catch rate was 18.5 per hour, while not exceptional compared to some lakes, the catch rate was higher than the previous two surveys on Cross Lake. Largemouth Bass sizes ranged from 7.5 inches to 15.8 inches with an average length of 12.8 inches. Four Smallmouth Bass were captured during the survey, with lengths between 9.8 inches to 13.8 inches.

Channel Catfish were sampled at a rate of 1.9 fish per gill net in 2022 compared to 2.2 fish per net in 2018. This is a slight decrease since the last survey but is about average relative to long term historical catch rates. Mean weight decreased slightly to 3.3 lbs. Average length was 20.1 inches with the longest sampled at 29.2 inches. There are good numbers of quality sized catfish available to anglers, with 90% of the gillnet catch over 17 inches.

Lake Sturgeon were caught in gill nets at a rate of 3.3 fish per net which is significantly higher than previous surveys. Historical catch rates of Lake Sturgeon have been low in Cross Lake, but fish migrate from the Snake River into Cross Lake at different times of the year and can provide an exciting angling opportunity for anglers. Length averaged 20 inches with the largest fish being about 42.0 inches.

Other species sampled during this survey were Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Chestnut Lamprey, Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, Golden Shiner, Greater Redhorse, Lake Sturgeon, Rockbass, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, White Bass, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Bigmouth Buffalo, White Sucker.

What is the average air temp for Cross Lake?

Are there any state parks near Cross Lake?