Rock Lake

How big is Rock Lake?

How deep is Rock Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Rock Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Rock Lake?

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Rock Lake

Are there boat launches on Rock Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Rock Lake?

Rock Lake is located 6 miles west of McGregor in east central Aitkin County. The public access is located on the north side of this moderately developed lake. This 300 acre lake is shallow and has a history of partial winterkills. The last strong winterkill probably took place the winter of 1996-1997. Although, the special assessment conducted that spring observed no panfish, no fish were stocked, presumably due to anecdotal reports of anglers catching panfish. As observed in this survey, the fish populations rebounded. As is common on these occasional winterkill lakes, after the initial "explosion" in growth rates and abundance, the fishery begins to slow down. As densities increase with the addition of each new year class, the survival decreases and growth rates slow. The lake then winterkills again, thereby decreasing density, and the whole process of high survival and fast growth repeats itself.

When these lakes go several years without a winterkill, they provide for excellent fisheries. At present, there are abundant black crappie, bluegill and northern pike populations.

While most of the black crappie were less than 9 inches in length, several fish over 11 inches long were sampled. The largest one was over 13 inches long. Black crappie may be experiencing a slow down in growth rates, which would likely be related to the higher density.
The abundant 2001 and 2002 year classes of bluegill are predominant in the population. Approximately 80 percent of the fish sampled came from those year classes. While the average bluegill sampled was only 6.3 inches in length, more than 10 percent of the fish sampled were at least 8 inches long. Although growth rates are still reasonably fast, a slow down would be expected until the next winterkill once again reduces the extremely high density of bluegill.

Although northern pike growth rates at Rock Lake were not exceptional, the pike population did display an excellent size distribution. In our sample, northern pike ranged from 17 to 32 inches in length, and the average captured in the gill nets was over 25 inches long. More than 70% of the entire sample was over 24 inches. The current perch population provides an excellent forage base for the pike.

What is the average air temp for Rock Lake?

Are there any state parks near Rock Lake?