Rossier Lake

Stearns County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

30ft Max
depth

37 acres 6 contours

Paddling Index62MixedMedium confidencesheltered geometry · away from major roads

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Depth scale

051015202530

The lake

Survey readout

Rossier Lake is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 37 acres in Stearns County, Minnesota.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 30 ft
Surface area: 37 acres
Shoreline: 1.32 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–30 ft
Recorded point soundings: 30 ft

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Location

Stearns County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 86 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 45.59322, -94.30105
MN DNR lake ID: 73007200
Vertical exaggeration: 2.66×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25

62 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Rossier Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	14.4 of 43	46% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (21% forest, 18% wetland; 29% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	33.8 of 36	mean fetch 514 m · 49% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Motor & speed rules	Not modeled	—	Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public access	Not listed	—	No public access site of this lake’s own in the MN DNR water access and fishing site records. Private, commercial and informal launches are not all in these records, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Very Good	13.7 of 21	limited nearby major-road exposure · 1 MnDOT-classified segment within 1.2 km, peak 3,400 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 5% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Moderate — 21% forest and 18% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Minnesota lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2017). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

15 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

Northern Pike

Common Carp

Bigmouth Buffalo

White Sucker

Logperch

Blacknose Shiner

Johnny Darter

About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2008

219Fish sampled

15Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 71 · Northern Pike 12 · Channel Catfish 4 · Smallmouth Bass 4

Panfish Bluegill 38 · Yellow Perch 21 · Black Crappie 17

All survey species15 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass71 caught · to 20″

Northern Pike12 caught · to 35″

Channel Catfish4 caught · to 24″

Smallmouth Bass4 caught · to 16″

Walleye2 caught · to 18″

Panfish

Bluegill38 caught · to 7″

Yellow Perch21 caught · to 5″

Black Crappie17 caught · to 8″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead1 caught · to 12″

Forage & nongame

Blacknose Shiner28 caught

White Sucker12 caught · to 18″

Common Carp6 caught · to 28″

Bigmouth Buffalo1 caught · to 21″

Johnny Darter1 caught · to 2″

Logperch1 caught · to 2″

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

Infested waters listing

listed via connection

Mussels & snails

Zebra MusselListed in 2014 because this water is connected water. The species has not necessarily been found in this lake.

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Rossier Lake — common questions

How deep is Rossier Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Rossier Lake is 30 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Rossier Lake?

Rossier Lake covers about 37 acres in Stearns County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Rossier Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, black crappie. The page lists all 15 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Rossier Lake?

No public launch for Rossier Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- private and commercial launches are not in that source.

More lakes in Stearns County

Lake Koronis (main lake)