Blackwell Lake

How big is Blackwell Lake?

How deep is Blackwell Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Blackwell Lake?

What are the closest cities to Blackwell Lake?

Are there boat launches on Blackwell Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Blackwell Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for Blackwell Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations Blackwell Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Blackwell Lake?

Blackwell Lake is a 307-acre basin located nine miles southwest of Alexandria, near the town of Holmes City. The basin has a maximum depth of 42.0 feet. Average depth is estimated at 10.0 feet. Water quality measures are relatively good. Water transparency measures over summer months of 2010 and 2011 averaged over 9.0 feet.

Blackwell Lake supports an abundant and diverse aquatic plant community. Submergent vegetation can be seasonally dense in shallow areas of the lake. Emergent vegetation is common in the southern area of the lake. Habitat and ecological attributes of this relative small lake are characteristic of "bass-panfish" lakes. The fish community in Blackwell Lake should provide quality fishing opportunities.

Largemouth Bass proved to be very abundant during the 2014 survey. The bass population sample was comprised of an atypically high proportion of older and larger fish. Thirty-six percent of electrofishing captures exceeded 15.0 inches in length. Mean length of fish sampled was 12.7 inches. The largest fish measured 18.7 inches in total length.

Panfishes common to the lake include Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Black Crappie. Bluegills are moderately abundant. Most captures during the 2014 survey were young fish stemming from establishment of a very strong year class in 2011. Approximately 26% of Bluegills captured in trapnets exceeded 6.0 inches in length. The lake does support a good Bluegill fishery. Larger Bluegills were captured in offshore gillnet sets. Twenty-two percent of gillnet captures exceeded 8.0 inches. The largest fish sampled measured 9.2 inches. Blackwell Lake supports a fair to good Black Crappie fishery. Survey catches in 2014 were relatively modest, but catches in August tend to be conservative due to a behavioral tendency for larger crappies to move offshore and into deeper water during summer months. Average length of Black Crappies measured in 2014 was 8.3 inches which was smaller than that of prior survey catches. The modest average size was the result of the high proportion of three-year-old fish in the population sample. The largest fish measured 11.1 inches in length.

Other predators in Blackwell Lake include Northern Pike and Walleye. Northern Pike catches in 2014 exceeded 10.0 fish/gillnet which is the highest catch rate among surveys. Average size of pike captures was relatively small at 21.0 inches, but there are bigger fish in the lake. The largest captured during the 2014 survey measured 31.6 inches in length. Walleyes are not stocked, but a population persists at a low density in response to natural reproduction or migration from connected waters. Six Walleyes were captured in gillnets during the 2014 survey. Most proved to be yearlings. Size at capture ranged from 9.7 to 20.5 inches in length.

Blackwell Lake does not have any known infestations of aquatic invasive species. If you suspect a new infestation of an invasive plant or animal, take a photo and note the location, or save a specimen and report it to a local DNR invasive species contact at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/contacts.html

A new public access site was acquired and developed in 2006. The new access is located on the east central portion of the lake off Country Lane.

What is the average air temp for Blackwell Lake?

Are there any state parks near Blackwell Lake?