Talcot Lake

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What kind of fish can you catch in Talcot Lake?

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Talcot Lake is an 873-acre shallow southern Minnesota lake located near the town of Dundee in Cottowood County. The lake has a maximum depth of 6 feet and a large watershed, meaning that Talcot Lake receives high amounts of runoff from its watershed. Water quality in Talcot Lake is typically poor with less than 0.5 foot of clarity in July 2016. The West Fork of the Des Moines River runs through Talcot Lake, providing a diversity of habitats for fish. Talcot Lake occasionally experiences partial fish kills; however, they typically are not severe. A fish kill occurred during the winter of 2013-2014, but was not severe. Talcot Lake is managed for walleye, black crappie, yellow perch, and northern pike. The walleye population in Talcot Lake is self-sustaining and has not been stocked since 1989. Populations of black crappie, yellow perch, and northern pike mostly sustain themselves; however, northern pike fingerlings were stocked in 2011 to supplement the population. A fish netting survey was conducted during the week of July 11, 2016 using 3 gill nets and 11 trap nets.

Walleye were caught at a rate of 20.7 per gill net and 2.4 per trap net in 2016. The gill net catch rate was above the normal range for Talcot and the trap net catch rate was within the normal range. The gill net catch rate was the second highest on record after an all-time high of 21.4 per gill net in 1989. Gill nets are more effective at sampling Walleye. Walleye in the gill net sample ranged in length from 11 to just under 23 inches with a mean length near 15.5 inches, a perfect size for anglers. Most Walleye were in the 12 to 17 inch range. The overall condition of the Walleye in the gill net and trap nets was good, indicating fish are finding adequate food. Overall the Walleye population is healthy with decent sized fish present. Excellent angling should be present when the bite is hot, target this lake right after Walleye opener in the spring and in the fall for best success. Target nearshore points and flowing water in the spring and shallow flats in the fall.

Black Crappie are a part of the fish community in Talcot Lake, but not at levels that will lead to anglers catching their limits. Black crappie catch rates have been low since the 2006 survey. The catch rates were no different in 2016 with a gill net catch rate of 1 per net and a trap net catch rate of 1.6 per net. Black Crappie in the trap nets ranged from 5 to 9 inches with a mean length of 7 inches. Two size groups were present, 4.5 to 6.5 inches and 8.5 to 9.5 inches, showing 2 ages present in the lake. Overall the body condition and plumpness of each fish was excellent indicating good health with fish finding abundant food. While the Black Crappie population is down, the few remaining are of good condition and should add to the fishery.

Yellow Perch are abundant in Talcot Lake. The Yellow perch gill net catch rate in 2016 was the highest on record since sampling began in 1985. To further verify those abundances, the trap net catch rate was the second highest on record. While numbers are high, more small fish than large fish should be expected by anglers. Fish in the sample ranged in length from 5 to 10 inches in the gill nets with a mean length of just over 6.5 inches, but most fish were in the 5 to 7 inch range. Several years of good growth and survival of the Yellow Perch could result in some excellent angling in Talcot Lake. Fishing for Yellow Perch is usually best through the ice in southwest Minnesota and targeting these perch during the 2017-2018 winter period could yield excellent results.

Northern pike were not abundant in the 2016 sample. Only 8 Northern Pike were caught. Lake temperature during the July survey was 75.7 degrees Fahrenheit which is fairly high for Northern Pike to be actively moving and susceptible to nets. However, the catch rates were not the lowest observed on Talcot Lake. Regardless, the catch rate was low, indicating a potentially reduced population of Northern Pike or a non-active population during sampling. On the positive side, sizes of Northern Pike were good with fish ranging in length from 23 to 32 inches. The 2016 precipitation year was high which will likely provide increased spawning habitat for northern pike in the spring of 2017. Additionally, the overall condition of the fish in the sample was decent indicating fish are finding food, most likely the abundant White Sucker in the lake. Angling for a large Northern Pike in Talcot Lake could be good. Don't expect them to be too hungry tough, the White Sucker catch rate was the highest ever observed in the lake.

Other species caught in the gill nets and trap nets was Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Channel Catfish, Orangespotted Sunfish, Quillback Carpsucker, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Species to make particular note about are Black Bullhead, Channel Catfish, and White Sucker. Black Bullhead up to 11 inches can be found in Talcot Lake and should be a bonus for anglers looking to target Black Bullhead. In the same way, Channel Catfish provide a unique angling experience and fish from up to 25 inches were found in the lake. Surprisingly, White Sucker were very abundant in 2016 with a gill net catch rate over 130 per net. White Sucker ranged in length from 6 to 17 inches with a mean length of 12 inches. White Sucker should provide a good forage base for Walleye and Northern Pike in Talcot Lake. In turn, growth of Walleye and Northern Pike should be excellent and create potential trophy Walleye and Northern Pike over the next several years.

Overall, the status of species in Talcot Lake is good with greater than average abundances of Walleye and Yellow Perch. In addition, Black Crappie and Northern Pike add to anglers catches at times and can be seasonally abundant when conditions are right. Non-managed species including Black Bullhead and Channel Catfish will add to the fishery and White Sucker add a solid forage base for the Walleye and Northern Pike. Conditions in water quality and clarity should be a long-term goal in Talcot Lake. Buffers on ditches and streams upstream of Talcot Lake on the West Fork of the Des Moines River as well as use of cover crops would help improve conditions over time and reduce unnecessary nutrient loading.

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