Freeborn Lake

How big is Freeborn Lake?

How deep is Freeborn Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Freeborn Lake?

What are the closest cities to Freeborn Lake?

Are there boat launches on Freeborn Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Freeborn Lake?

Introduction
Freeborn Lake is a 2,126 acre lake located in Freeborn County south of the town of Freeborn. A public access is located off 665th Avenue at Arrowhead Point County Park. Freeborn Lake is a large, very shallow lake with a maximum depth of 6.7 feet and an average depth of only 2.3 feet. The fish population is managed primarily for yellow perch and secondarily for northern pike. However, winterkills occur frequently and game fish populations are often at low abundances. A partial winterkill occurred in the winter of 2014, which greatly depleted the fish community. A contingency stocking plan calling for 200 pounds of adult yellow perch and 200 adult northern pike takes place after winterkill events. Freeborn Lake was surveyed the week of June 23, 2014 as part of a regular monitoring program conducted by Minnesota DNR. This survey was intended to assess the fish community by deploying gill nets and trap nets, as well as recording water quality parameters.

Black Bullhead
Black bullhead was the most abundant fish species in the 2014 survey. Gill nets yielded 13.3 fish/net and trap nets collected 21.3 fish/net. These catch rates were just a fraction of the rates observed in a 2004 survey (163.8 fish/gill net; 245.8 fish/trap net), which is likely the result of a winterkill during the harsh winter of 2014. Black bullhead lengths from both gear types ranged from 4.3 to 10.5 inches and averaged 7.1 inches, indicating that the population is comprised of many small individuals. Black bullhead, especially young fish, are able to survive in low oxygen environments and are often all that remains in the lake after a winterkill occurrence.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch were collected in gill nets at a rate of 8.1 fish/net. This catch rate is significantly lower than the survey conducted in 2004 (76.8 fish/gill net), which is likely due to a winterkill in 2014. The lengths of yellow perch in gill nets ranged from 4.6 to 6.3 inches and averaged 5.6 inches, indicating that the remnant population after the 2014 winterkill was comprised of small individuals. Considering the relatively low abundance of fish in Freeborn Lake after the winterkill, yellow perch have more food resources available and have the potential to grow fast if they do not succumb to winterkill again in the next few years. Adult yellow perch (N = 3,675) were stocked in 2014 after the winterkill event at a rate of 21 fish per pound.

Other Species
Other fish species collected in low abundance were walleye (N = 1), green sunfish (N = 3), bluegill (N = 1), common carp (N = 21), and white sucker (N = 1).

What is the average air temp for Freeborn Lake?