Hand Lake

How big is Hand Lake?

How deep is Hand Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Hand Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Hand Lake?

Hand is a small shallow lake managed for Walleye and Northern Pike. It is accessible only by a long and difficult-to-spot carry-in trail off the road to Ball Club Lake. Walleye were introduced in 1985, and the population has been self-sustained since 1998, when the last stocking was done. This was the second of two surveys scheduled in the 2006 lake management plan (LMP) to determine whether the long range goal for Walleye in this lake (a gill net catch of 3.0 fish/net) could be met with no further stocking.

Fair numbers of Walleye were found in Hand Lake in 2016, and all of the fish sampled were over 16 inches in length (up to 22 inches). The Walleye gill net catch in this survey fell short of the goal in the 2006 LMP; however, it was close enough to make meeting the goal a possibility in some years. The goal was last met in the previous (2010) survey. All of the Walleye collected in 2016 had been produced naturally. Six year classes contributed to the catch, although none appeared to have been exceptionally strong. Growth appeared to have been somewhat faster than average; fish reached an average length of 16.4 inches by the end of their fourth year, compared to an area average of 15.1 inches.

Another objective for surveys scheduled in the 2006 LMP was determining whether the long range goal for Northern Pike (a gill net catch of 4.5 fish/net) was still attainable in this lake, now that Walleye are well established. Although netting effort was low in early surveys (two gill net sets in each), it appeared that Northern Pike gill net catches dropped when Walleye were introduced, from about 7-10 fish/net to 1-3 fish/net, and have not recovered. A catch of 4.5 fish/gill net set is probably no longer possible in this lake. The 2016 Northern Pike catch was low for this lake, and low for a lake of this type; however, it included a few fish over 25 inches in length. Six year classes contributed to the catch, with fish as old as seven years taken, but no exceptionally strong year classes noted. Northern Pike growth had been slow; their average length at the end of their fourth year was 18.7 inches, compared to an area average of 21.1 inches.

Yellow Perch were probably never abundant in Hand Lake. probably due to the large numbers of Northern Pike once present, but their numbers seem to have dropped further since Walleye were introduced. No Yellow Perch were taken in this survey, as has been the case in three of the past four surveys. Slow Northern Pike growth is probably due to the drop in perch abundance, as well as a similar and steeper decline in White Sucker numbers. Walleye may have maintained better growth due to their ability to do well on invertebrate forage, and the decline in competition for that forage resulting from the decline in sucker numbers.

Are there any state parks near Hand Lake?