Blue Lake

How big is Blue Lake?

How deep is Blue Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Blue Lake?

What are the closest cities to Blue Lake?

Are there boat launches on Blue Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Blue Lake?

Blue Lake is a two-story lake, able to support both cold-water and warm-water fish species, located in western Aitkin County two miles from the City of Aitkin. The lake has a surface area of close to 50 acres and a maximum depth of 106 feet. The surrounding land is a mixture of rolling hills of mixed maple and oak hardwoods interspersed with wetlands. There is a carry-in type public access located on the south shore of the easternmost bay that requires a portage of about 100 yards down a crushed rock path from the parking area and negotiating a steep bank with stairs near the lake. Blue Lake is stocked annually with rainbow trout yearlings to provide a put and take fishery for local anglers, but it is not a designated stream trout lake. Anglers can fish the lake following standard angling license requirements, but can only harvest trout if they possess a trout stamp validation. Kamloops rainbow trout have been stocked since 2011, and appear to be working better than any other strain/species used since the early 1990s. They are stocked in the spring as catchable-sized fish that usually range from 9 - 11 inches. By fall, most have grown to 11-14 inches. Blue Lake can provide some good fishing in both the openwater and ice fishing seasons, including from shore, which is a unique opportunity in the Aitkin area. Warm-water species available to anglers include northern pike, largemouth bass and bluegill. Although pike are not very abundant, the lake can produce some memorable sized fish such as the 40 inch pike observed in this survey. A temperature - dissolved oxygen (TDO) profile was collected on September 9, 2016 to determine if the amount of thermal habitat available is sufficient for lake trout survival. Historical records show that Blue Lake was stocked with lake trout in 1937 and that a population existed up until at least 1954. The TDO3 (temperature at 3 mg/l dissolved oxygen) was determined to be 5.7 C, which is considered good for tullibee survival. Though there are no tullibee present in Blue Lake, lake trout are a cold water species and have similar habitat requirements where optimum conditions are about 5 ppm of oxygen at 10 C. The profile shows overall oxy-thermal habitat is still sufficient for lake trout from about 25 -35 feet in late summer. There are no plans to stock Blue Lake with lake trout at this time, however they may be considered in the future as it appears habitat conditions are still favorable.

What is the average air temp for Blue Lake?

Are there any state parks near Blue Lake?