Winchell Lake

How big is Winchell Lake?

How deep is Winchell Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Winchell Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Winchell Lake?

Winchell Lake lies deep inside the BWCAW, and is currently managed for lake trout and northern pike. Both species are native to the lake. This was the first of two assessments scheduled in the 2010 lake management plan. One of the objectives in the 2010 plan was to determine the composition of the non-game fish community in this lake. The other was to determine age and size at maturity for lake trout in this lake.

Lake trout in Winchell Lake were fairly abundant in 2012, and some larger fish were present. The lake trout gill net catch, and the mean weight for lake trout taken in gill nets, were within normal ranges for a lake of this class, and were similar to past values for this lake. Lake trout collected in 2012 ranged in length from 7.6 in 26.9 inches, with several fish larger than 20 inches taken. Several year classes, all naturally produced, contributed to the catch, with the strongest produced in 2007. Growth of five-year-old lake trout from the 2007 year class had been close to average. They reached a mean length of 13.6 inches at the end of their fifth year.

Because most of the lake trout taken in this assessment were mature fish, determining age and size at maturity was not possible. The smallest (and youngest) mature female taken was a 12.6-inch, five-year-old fish. The largest immature female taken was 15.6 inches long, but was not aged. The smallest, and youngest, mature male taken was a 10.6-inch, three-year-old fish. No immature males were identified.

Only one northern pike was collected in 2012. Historically, northern pike catches have been low in this lake, ranging from 0.15 to 0.58 fish/set in past assessments. The lake has the cisco forage base needed to produce some trophy fish, but recruitment has been very low.

The 2012 cisco gill net catch was similar to past catches in this lake, and fell within the normal range for a lake of this class. The catch consisted of just three year classes. Cisco growth had been relatively fast; two-year-old fish reached a mean length of 10.1 inches at the end of their second year, compared to an area average of 8.7 inches.

The 2012 assessment included the use of a 15-ft seine at several locations around the lake, and captured several fish species not previously found in this lake. New species found in 2012 were smallmouth bass, yellow perch, green sunfish, johnny darter, and blacknose shiner. In addition, sculpin (species unknown) were found in lake trout stomachs. Smallmouth bass and yellow perch abundance appeared to have been low, although yellow perch were a common item found in lake trout stomachs. Smallmouth bass probably entered the lake from Gaskin Lake. Yellow perch were probably native to Winchell Lake, but present in very low numbers and so were missed by previous assessments.

Are there any state parks near Winchell Lake?