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3,982-acre lake near Washington County. The lake tops out around 78 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
St. Croix River maps at 3,981 acres behind 56.2 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 6.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. 83% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 21.4 mi end to end and 2.9 mi across at its widest. Washington County claims this one. If the bite dies, Edith is 3 mi to the northwest.
Spring puts brown trout in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 25 to 60 ft, wintering in 5 to 35 ft. Summer brown trout concentrate at Sharp break, a prime-rated drop-off around 23 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (20 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (5 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 15 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Fall walleye concentrate at Sharp break, a prime-rated drop-off around 23 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (5 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
In spring, sauger run shallow here, mostly 4 to 18 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 15 to 45 ft for winter. Spring sauger concentrate at Rock reef, a prime-rated rock pile around 5 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (5 ft) | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (23 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Sharp break (23 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 15 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, muskellunge slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Sharp break. It's a drop-off holding about 23 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. Keep a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (20 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Sharp break (23 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (23 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
St. Croix River also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), white bass (8 to 25 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer), flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), burbot (23 to 78 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), lake sturgeon (15 to 40 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
St. Croix River carries 24 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 66 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
| Date | Species | Count | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025* | Muskellunge (fingerlings) | 2,414 | — |
| 2024* | Muskellunge (fingerlings) | 192 | — |
* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking reports, retrieved 2026-08-18.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to St. Croix River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
St. Croix River is about 78 ft (24 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target brown trout, walleye, sauger, yellow perch, northern pike, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, channel catfish, flathead catfish, burbot, freshwater drum, common carp, lake sturgeon, longnose gar on St. Croix River.
Sharp break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 23 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Yes — per Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking reports records, St. Croix River was most recently stocked 2025 with 2,414 muskellunge (fingerlings). The full stocking history is listed above.
Fishing on St. Croix River is regulated by the Minnesota DNR. Check the official Minnesota regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Edith 3 mi · Powers 6 mi · Horseshoe 6 mi · Colby 6 mi · Mallalieu Lake 6 mi, WI · Elmo 8 mi · Kinnickinnic Pond, Upper 8 mi, WI · Cloverdale 9 mi · Unnamed Lake (Washington County) 9 mi · Little Falls Lake 9 mi, WI · Kinnickinnic River 9 mi, WI · Battle Creek 10 mi
See how St. Croix River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best smallmouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best white bass lakes in Minnesota
More water nearby: Washington County fishing maps (48 charts). Browse all Minnesota fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.