Lake Saint Croix

Air

38°F

Wind

0 mph

Sky

Partly Sunny

Pressure

30.36 inHgSteady (+0.7 hPa in 3 h)

National Weather Service hourly forecast; pressure from station K21D at 6:55 AM CT.

Lake Saint Croix covers 8,393 acres and is 78 ft at its deepest. These are the sport fish DNR surveys found here, and what each typically does in October in Minnesota lakes.

• WalleyeFall walleye feed heavily on rocky points and breaklines; dusk and after dark are often best.
• SaugerFall sauger school in deep water and feed heavily before winter.
• Northern pikeFall pike feed heavily along the last green weeds and drop-offs.
• MuskieFall is a prime time for big muskies, which feed heavily before winter.
• Largemouth bassBass gather near the remaining green weeds and drop-offs and feed before winter.
• Smallmouth bassFall smallmouth school on deep rocky structure and feed before moving to wintering areas.
• CrappieFall crappies school tightly in deeper basins and feed actively.
• BluegillFall bluegill move toward deeper weed edges and feed actively.
• Yellow perchFall perch school on deep flats and feed heavily.
• Channel catfishChannel catfish start moving downstream toward deep wintering areas.

Lake Saint Croix is a border water shared with Wisconsin, so its seasons and limits follow the DNR's border-water regulations rather than the statewide inland seasons. Check current regulations.

Species found in Minnesota DNR fish surveys of Lake Saint Croix in the last 10 years or its latest survey (October 22, 2025).

• WalleyeSpawns over gravel and rock in the shallows soon after ice-out, peaking in 42–50°F water; in summer it holds deeper and feeds in the shallows at dawn and dusk.
• SaugerShares the walleye's habits but sees even better in dark or murky water, which keeps it in big rivers and stained lakes.
• Northern pikeSpawns in flooded, weedy shallows right after ice-out and keeps feeding in cold water, so it bites from spring through ice season.
• MuskellungeSpawns in shallow, weedy bays in spring. Muskies are scarce in any lake, which is why a catch can take many hours on the water.
• Largemouth bassNests in shallow, firm-bottomed bays in late spring and spends summer in and along the weedbeds.
• Smallmouth bassNests on gravel and rock in late spring and stays around rocky points, reefs and current through summer.
• Black crappieSpawns in May and June in shallow water in the mid-60s °F; schools roam open water and feed most at night, dawn and dusk.
• White crappieSpawns like the black crappie, in May and June in mid-60s °F shallows, but prefers warmer, murkier water.
• BluegillNests in colonies in firm-bottomed shallows from late May through much of summer, in 67–80°F water; bigger fish feed in open water.
• Yellow perchSpawns in early spring, draping egg ribbons over weeds and brush, and bites eagerly on worms all year, including through the ice.
• Rock bassNests over gravel near rocks and logs in late spring and stays close to rocky cover all summer.
• Channel catfishSpawns in early summer in 75–80°F water in hollow logs and undercut banks, and winters in deep water out of the current.
• Flathead catfishSpawns in summer in 72–75°F water in log jams and hollow logs, feeds mostly at night, and spends winter nearly dormant in deep pools.
• Lake sturgeonA long-lived fish that spawns in spring over rocky river rapids and feeds along the bottom.

Also found

• Bigmouth buffalo
• Black bullhead
• Common carp
• Freshwater drum
• Gizzard shad
• Golden redhorse
• Highfin carpsucker
• Hybrid sunfish
• Longnose gar
• Mooneye
• Paddlefish
• Quillback
• River carpsucker
• River redhorse
• Shorthead redhorse
• Shortnose gar
• Silver redhorse
• Smallmouth buffalo
• Spotted sucker
• Walleye/sauger
• White bass
• White sucker