Lightning Lake

How big is Lightning Lake?

How deep is Lightning Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lightning Lake?

What are the closest cities to Lightning Lake?

Are there boat launches on Lightning Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lightning Lake?

Lightning Lake is a 500-acre basin located on the upper reach of the Mustinka River in northwest Grant County. Turbidity is often high and dense algae blooms are common during summer months. Water quality and gamefish habitat is poor. Maximum depth of this shallow basin is just 11.0 feet, which makes it prone to occasional winterkill. The last winterkill event occurred during the winter of 2007-2008. Consequently, fish community diversity and fishing opportunities are limited. Similar to many shallow lakes in western Minnesota, the walleye fishery is often "boom or bust" depending on presence of strong year classes and frequency and severity of winterkill events. Walleye fry are stocked on an alternate year basis and strong year classes usually correspond to a successful fry stocking. Most of the total annual fishing pressure occurs early in the season, prior to onset of algae blooms.

2008 survey results revealed the impact of the 2007-2008 winterkill event. With exception of northern pike, other gamefish catches were limited. Pike abundance was considered moderate. Larger pike were present but most were small- to medium-sized individuals. Mean size was 21.3 inches and 2.2 pounds. Other game fish collected were black crappie, walleye, and yellow perch. Catch rates of these species were extremely low. Non-game fishes tolerant of low dissolved oxygen levels comprised the most of the total capture sample. The next lake survey is scheduled for 2012.

What is the average air temp for Lightning Lake?