Name: Cass

Nearest Town: Cass Lake Primary County: Beltrami Survey Date: 07/01/2011 Inventory Number: 04003000

Purchase a walleye stamp. Your voluntary contribution will be used to support walleye stocking.

Public Access Information

Ownership	Type	Description
DNR	Concrete
US Forest Service	Concrete
US Forest Service	Concrete

Lake Characteristics

Lake Area (acres): 15958.25 Littoral Area (acres): 3119 Maximum Depth (ft): 120 Water Clarity (ft): N/A

Dominant Bottom Substrate: N/A Abundance of Aquatic Plants: N/A Maximum Depth of Plant Growth (ft): N/A

Fish Sampled for the 2011 Survey Year

Species	Gear Used	Number of fish per net		Average Fish Weight (lbs)	Normal Range (lbs)
		Caught	Normal Range
Black Crappie	Gill net	0.10	0.2 - 1.1	0.09	0.2 - 0.5
Bluegill	Gill net	0.20	N/A	0.23	N/A
Bullheads	Gill net	0.10	N/A	1.47	N/A
Burbot	Gill net	0.10	0.1 - 0.2	1.25	1.1 - 2.7
Hybrid Sunfish	Gill net	0.05	N/A	0.57	N/A
Lake Whitefish	Gill net	0.25	0.1 - 0.9	2.17	1.0 - 3.0
Largemouth Bass	Gill net	0.15	0.3 - 1.2	0.06	0.6 - 1.0
Northern Pike	Gill net	3.80	3.0 - 7.9	3.04	1.7 - 2.8
Redhorse	Gill net	0.05	N/A	3.70	N/A
Rock Bass	Gill net	2.15	1.0 - 6.6	0.51	0.3 - 0.5
Tullibee (cisco)	Gill net	6.90	0.5 - 5.2	0.69	0.4 - 1.0
Walleye	Gill net	13.30	4.0 - 9.6	1.07	1.1 - 1.9
White Sucker	Gill net	3.25	1.0 - 3.5	1.45	1.5 - 2.3
Yellow Bullhead	Gill net	1.05	0.6 - 6.4	1.03	0.6 - 0.9
Yellow Perch	Gill net	46.65	7.1 - 33.9	0.16	0.1 - 0.2

Length of Selected Species (Trapnet, Gillnet) Sampled for the 2011 Survey Year

Species	Number of fish caught in each category (inches)
	0-5	6-8	9-11	12-14	15-19	20-24	25-29	30+	Total
black crappie	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
bluegill	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4
bullheads	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2
burbot	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2
hybrid sunfish	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
lake whitefish	0	0	0	1	3	1	0	0	5
largemouth bass	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
northern pike	0	0	0	0	15	42	12	7	76
redhorse	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
rock bass	5	22	14	0	0	0	0	0	43
tullibee (cisco)	0	1	76	56	5	0	0	0	138
walleye	0	6	41	123	76	18	2	0	266
white sucker	0	5	11	22	25	2	0	0	65
yellow bullhead	0	0	12	9	0	0	0	0	21
yellow perch	250	600	80	0	0	0	0	0	933

Fish Stocking Activity

Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Ten Years

Stocking Fish Sizes
Fry - Newly hatched fish that are ready to be stocked usually called "swim-ups". Walleye fry are 1/3 of an inch or around 8 mm.
Fingerling - Fingerlings are one to six months old and can range from a size of one to twelve inches depending on the species. Walleye fingerlings range from three to eight inches each fall.
Yearling - Yearling fish are at least one year old. A one-year-old fish can range from three to twenty inches depending on the species. Walleye yearlings average from six to twelve inches.
Adult - Adult fish are fish that have reached maturity. Depending on the species, maturity can be reached at two years of age. Walleye reach maturity between the ages of four and six years.

Fish Consumption Guidelines

These fish consumption guidelines help people make choices about which fish to eat and how often. Following the guidelin es enables people to reduce their exposure to contaminants while still enjoying the many benefits from fish.

Pregnant Women, Women who may become pregnant and Children under age 15

General Population

DOWID - MN DNR, Divion of Waters' lake ID number.

Contaminants listed were measured at levels that trigger advice to limit consumption.

Listing of consumption guidelines do not imply the fish are legal to keep, MN DNR fishing regulations should be consulted.

Dioxin
Mercury
PCBS - Polychlorinated biphenyls
PFOS - Perfluorooctane sulfanate

Status of the Fishery (as of 07/01/2011)

Cass Lake water levels are affected by the operation of two dams on the Mississippi River. Otter Tail Power Company operates a dam upstream, just below Stump Lake. At the Cass Lake outlet is Knutson Dam, owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service. The Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians operates a commercial fishery for lake whitefish and cisco on the Cass Lake chain. A limited subsistence fishery for game species is also allowed for Band members. The only MN-DNR special fishing regulation currently in effect is a ban on winter spearing for Cass Lake proper (excluding the remainder of the chain of lakes). A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund cleanup site exists on Pike Bay near the south side of Cass Lake. The EPA has placed a consumption advisory on lake whitefish from Cass Lake and Pike Bay due to elevated body burdens of dioxins in this species.

Present Fish Population Status The walleye population of Cass Lake is healthy and is comprised of good numbers of fish distributed among numerous size and age classes. The 2011 gill net catch rate was 13.3 fish per net, and slightly above the long-term median catch rate (12.9 fish/net). Fish representing each year class from 2001 to 2011 were sampled (ages 0 to 10). Approximately 61% of the walleye sample consisted of fish between 12 and 17 inches. These fish should provide good fishing opportunities for the next few years. The strong 2008 year class averaged 13.5 inches in length during the fall assessment and should provide good numbers of eater-sized fish beginning in 2012. Sampling for young-of-the-year walleye using bottom trawls and electrofishing suggest that the 2011 year class will be well above average strength which, coupled with a strong 2008 year class, means the future is bright for the Cass Lake walleye fishery. The gill net catch rate for yellow perch (47 per net) was similar to the long-term median (48 per net). Nineteen percent of the sample consisted of perch 8 inches or larger, and 7% were 10 inches or larger. There is some evidence that quality of this population has decreased over the past 30 years, as indicated by an overall gradual decline in average fish size. However, the current size structure should provide ample angling opportunities and with a little bit of sorting, catches of nice-sized fish are still possible. The 2011 northern pike catch rate of 3.8 fish per net was slightly greater than the long-term median of 2.9 fish per gill net. The size structure of the pike population is good with approximately 18% of the sample greater than 26 inches and 9% greater than 30 inches. A spring trap netting assessment in 2011 captured nearly 1,200 northern pike. The largest fish approached 42 inches and the average length was 22 inches. Twenty-three percent of female northern pike were greater than 28 inches but no male pike achieved this length. It is rare for a male northern pike in Cass Lake to reach 28 inches. A two-year muskellunge assessment was initiated in 2011 and 112 fish were captured during the first season. Fish ranged in length from 33.3 to 53.7 inches with an average length of 43.4 inches. Eighteen muskellunge were greater than 48 inches in length.

For more information on this lake, contact: Area Fisheries Supervisor 2114 Bemidji Ave Bemidji, MN 56601 Phone: (218) 308-2339 E-Mail: Bemidji.Fisheries@state.mn.us	Lake maps can be obtained from: Minnesota Bookstore 660 Olive Street St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 297-3000 or (800) 657-3757 To order, use B0041 for the map-id.
For general DNR Information, contact: DNR Information Center 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 TDD: (651) 296-6157 or (888) MINNDNR Internet: www.dnr.state.mn.us E-Mail: info.dnr@state.mn.us	Turn in Poachers (TIP):     Toll-free: (800) 652-9093