East Pope Lake

How big is East Pope Lake?

How deep is East Pope Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in East Pope Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near East Pope Lake?

This was the second of two assessments scheduled in the 2001 lake management plan to evaluate walleye fingerling stocking in this lake. The first was completed in 2008, and yielded results similar to those seen in this assessment.

Walleye abundance in East Pope Lake was low in 2013, as it has been in most years in this lake. Walleye collected ranged in length from 18.7 to 22.1 inches, and all were at least five years of age. There was no evidence that recent walleye fingerling stocking had resulted in increased walleye abundance in this lake. The walleye gill net catch in 2013 was similar to catches seen in past assessments of this lake. Like catches in all previous assessments, the 2013 catch fell well short of the long range goal (4.0 fish/set) established for the species in the 2001 management plan.

Northern pike were fairly abundant in East Pope Lake in 2013, although few large fish were present. The 2013 northern pike gill net catch was similar to the catch observed in 2008, and was one of the higher catches observed in this lake since 1957. Five year classes, all naturally produced, contributed to the catch, and fish as old as seven years were taken. Growth of young northern pike had been fairly fast; two-year-old fish reached a mean length of 18.9 inches by the end of their second year, compared to an area average of 14.3 inches. Growth was apparently much slower after age 2; fish had reached a mean length of just 22.0 inches after five years. Forage for larger northern pike was limited; abundance of yellow perch and white sucker appeared to have been very low in 2013 (as it also was in 2008).

The capture of two bluegill in trap nets in 2013 marks the first time that species has been sampled in East Pope Lake. Smallmouth bass were also present in 2013; a single fish was taken in gill nets. Although that catch fell below the normal range for the lake class, it may not have been indicative of true smallmouth bass abundance in this lake, since gill nets are a poor tool for sampling the species. No white sucker were taken in this assessment, but they have been taken in past assessments of this lake, and were likely still present in low numbers in 2013.

Are there any state parks near East Pope Lake?