Horseshoe Lake

How big is Horseshoe Lake?

How deep is Horseshoe Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Horseshoe Lake?

What are the closest cities to Horseshoe Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Horseshoe Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Horseshoe Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Horseshoe Lake

Are there places to eat and drink near Horseshoe Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for Horseshoe Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations Horseshoe Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

Horseshoe Lake is a 237 acre lake located in northeastern Aitkin County approximately 9 miles northeast of McGregor. The lake is shallow with a maximum depth of only 12 ft. and summer algal blooms are relatively common. The water is a tanin stained dark brown in color, limiting the secchi disk reading to only 3ft. Most of the shoreline is ringed with wild rice. Shallow water areas are comprised primarily of sand, silt, and muck with occasional areas of gravel and rubble. Horseshoe Lake does occasionally suffer from partial winterkills, the most recent observed was a partial kill in the winter of 2007-2008. Access can be gained either through the channel from Lake Minnewawa or through a private access on the northeast corner of the lake.

Historically walleye have been naturally occurring in Horseshoe Lake. In order to improve an apparent declining natural population, walleye fry have been stocked into Horseshoe Lake, annually since 2012. The 2015 catch of 2/gill net is up from past surveys. All but one of the walleyes captured in the gill nets were from fry stocked years. There is some fish movement between Horseshoe and Minnewawa.

Northern pike were caught in below average numbers, and their size was about average. Fish ranged from 17" to 24.6", with an average length and weight of 21.3" and 2.0 lbs. Lower pike densities are generally favorable for walleye management in this type of lake.

Perhaps what is most notable is the lake's panfish population. Bluegill, black crappie, and yellow perch catches have decreased from the last survey. With the decrease in abundance, there has been improvement in black crappie and bluegill sizes. Black crappie averaged about 8" while bluegills averaged about 7.5". Yellow perch numbers are still in the normal range for this lake class, but are probably too small to be of interest to anglers with only 2 fish over 8" sampled in 2015. With an average length of 6.2", the perch should provide good forage for the lake's northern pike and walleye.

Although abundance was relatively low, the largemouth bass population did exhibit quality sized fish. The 3 fish observed in the trap net sample ranged from 17" to nearly 20".

A new survey tool was used in this survey to assess the quality of the shoreland, shoreline and aquatic areas called Score-the-Shore. Overall Horseshoe Lake scored 69.8 out of a possible score of 100. This score translates to a "Poor" rating, however it was only 0.2 points away from the "Fair" rating at 70. Other lakes in the area with similar scores were Flemming (69) Waukenabo (71) and Dam (69). Despite a poor Score-the-Shore rating, Horseshoe Lake maintains a healthy aquatic plant community with much of the shoreline rimmed with emergent and floating plants. Maintaining healthy plant communities is important for maintaining good water quality and fish habitat.

What is the average air temp for Horseshoe Lake?

Are there any state parks near Horseshoe Lake?