Lee Lake

How big is Lee Lake?

How deep is Lee Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lee Lake?

What are the closest cities to Lee Lake?

Are there boat launches on Lee Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lee Lake?

Lee Lake is a 134-acre, class 34 lake located in eastern Clay County. Although relatively deep for a small lake (maximum depth of 36 feet), it is a fertile lake that is sharply stratified during summer months. A large campground on the northeast shore now has approximately 80, semi-permanent, camper trailers that have greatly increased recreational use on Lee Lake. In addition to the campground, a new Public access has improved the accessibility of the lake for recreational use. The access is located on the Northwest side of the lake off of Minnesota Highway 32 and 7th Ave south. During the winter of 2015, concerns were brought to the DNR's attention as the water had turned red. After some water sampling it was determined that a filamentous blue-green algae was present in the sample. A few species of this group are planktonic, and at certain times of the year turn the water a blood red color. After doing a dissolved oxygen test it was determined that the algae was not affecting the amount of oxygen in the water. Lee Lake was very unusual compared to other western Minnesota lakes in that it had no bullheads sampled until the 2015 survey.

In 2015, the Northern Pike catch rate was 9.7 per gill net, up from 2.7 in 2005 and also above the lake's historical average of 7.2 per net. The mean length of Northern Pike sampled in 2015 was 23.7 inches and lengths ranged from 14.7 to 34.7 inches. Northern Pike up to eight years old were found. Lee Lake's Northern Pike exhibited faster than normal growth, with four-year-old Northern Pike reaching 26 inches.

Bluegill abundance as indicated by trap net catches have fluctuated widely in Lee Lake. The 2015 Bluegill catch rate of only 9.2 fish per trap net indicates a continued fluctuation in the Bluegill population. This catch rate is far below what was observed in 2005 (31.3 per trap net) and also below the lake's historical average (23.9 per trap net). Bluegill had a mean length of 7.0 inches and ranged in size from 3.5 to 8.7 inches. Bluegill growth was faster than that of the previous survey with Bluegills reaching almost seven inches by four years of age.

Gill net catch rates of Walleye have remained above the lake's historic mean of 2.1 per net since 1990. During this survey, 2.5 Walleyes per gill net were captured. Walleye had a mean length of 16.2 inches and ranged in size from 9.3 to 27.4 inches. Walleye up to 14 years old were found, with four year old fish reaching an average length of just over 16 inches. Now that a functioning public access exists on Lee Lake, fingerling stocking was resumed in 2013. Future surveys will be used to evaluate the success of this stocking.

Although Largemouth Bass were stocked in the 1930s, 1980, and 1988, the first bass was not sampled in Lee Lake until 1995 when two were captured. The 2015 survey sampled 51 Largemouth Bass with various methods. Average size was 10-12 inches long, depending on the method, with fish up to 17.1 inches being captured. Largemouth Bass reached 12.3 inches long by the time they were four years old.

Black Crappie catches had declined since 1985. The Black Crappie catch rate in trap nets of 12.4 found during this survey was the highest recorded for Lee Lake and much above the lake's historical average of 5.2 per trap net. Black Crappie mean length was 5.3 inches and ranged from 3.9 to 10.3 inches.

The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate in 2015 was 35.7 per set, which was slightly more than the lake's historical average catch rate. The mean length of sampled Yellow Perch was 6.5 inches, but some fish up to 9.5 inches were captured.

Brown Bullhead had historically not been present in Lee Lake, but anglers reported catching them in 2014. In 2015, their presence was confirmed with Brown Bullheads being observed while electrofishing and also captured with both trap nets and gill nets. Fifty four Brown Bullheads were sampled, ranging in size from 7.9 to 14.4 inches long. It is unknown how they got into Lee Lake, but it is likely it occurred during a high water event when one of the streams connected Lee Lake to wetlands upstream.

Lee Lake is a very small lake that is experiencing increasing levels of recreational activity. It is one of the first lakes encountered by Fargo/Moorhead metropolitan residents traveling east towards Detroit Lakes. Observations by fisheries field crews suggest a decline in water quality from earlier surveys. However an improving trend has been seen in the last two surveys. Fish survey water quality data is only a snapshot collected in late July, but it is difficult to ignore declining water clarity readings, progressively more water that does not contain sufficient oxygen during summer stratification, and increasing phosphorus concentrations. Practicing selective fish harvest, following the correct steps to prevent the spread of invasive species, and protecting water quality by using shoreland and watershed best management practices are highly encouraged.

What is the average air temp for Lee Lake?

Are there any state parks near Lee Lake?