Midge Lake

How big is Midge Lake?

How deep is Midge Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Midge Lake?

What are the closest cities to Midge Lake?

Are there boat launches on Midge Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Midge Lake?

Midge Lake is a 520-acre lake located 10 miles southeast of Bemidji in Hubbard County. There is a concrete boat ramp with parking for about six trucks/trailers. Midge is in lake class 38, which is a group of shallow, productive lakes with regularly shaped shorelines. The maximum depth is 24 feet, but most of the lake is less than 10 feet deep. Due to the shallow nature of the lake, it is prone to winterkills, which periodically kill species that are intolerant of low oxygen levels such as sunfish, largemouth bass, black crappie and walleye. These species are reintroduced after a winterkill occurs, and tend to respond favorably with fast growth rates that can produce fishable populations in just a few years. Due to recently mild winters, Midge Lake has not experienced a winterkill since 1993-94, and the fish population has gone through the "rearing pond" boom and has stabilized with more typical growth rates and densities of fish. As of this writing (March, 2011) testing indicated that oxygen levels are still adequate for fish survival throughout much of the water column, and it does not appear that a winterkill will occur in winter 2010-11.
Midge Lake is considered to be a good multi-species fishery. Anglers fish for panfish, yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike with success. Average size of bluegill captured in the 2010 population assessment was 7.2 inches, with fish over 9.0 inches present. Bluegill from the 2006 year class dominated the catch. Bluegill numbers are currently lower than the average from historic assessments, but growth rates are noticeably faster than at higher population levels. The 2006 year class of bluegill should attain quality size within the next year or two and provide some consistent fishing into the near future. Black crappie numbers are currently at low levels, with a few fish in the 12-inch length range captured in the assessment. Black crappie reproduction can be inconsistent in northern Minnesota lakes, and they are highly sought after by anglers. Because of their popularity with anglers, few quality size black crappie get caught and then released. Yellow perch numbers are also currently lower than historic levels. A bacterial infection outbreak (Columnaris) that occurred in the late spring of 2010 killed a significant number of fish. On the positive side, the perch population is still very fishable, and the remaining yellow perch are good sized, with an average length of 8.1 inches. Yellow perch numbers were extremely high before the outbreak, as evidenced by the poor body condition of perch captured in the 2010 assessment. Natural thinning of this high density perch population will likely result in improved condition and better growth. Largemouth bass sampling conducted in 2010 showed a decent bass population, with fish up to 19.0 inches captured. The catch rate (21 bass/hr) was comparable to other lakes managed for largemouth bass in the area, and the average size of 14.1 inches was larger than in most bass assessments. Northern pike numbers have always been high in Midge Lake, as they are well adapted to flourishing under periodic winterkill conditions. Previous assessments show that the pike population is often dominated by high numbers of smaller fish. The 2010 assessment captured pike in high numbers, but the size structure of the population had improved noticeably since the last assessment (2000), as average fish weight was 3.0 pounds. Twenty five percent of all pike captured were greater than 24.0 inches in length, and the largest pike captured was 36.3 inches in length. Northern pike have thrived on the high density perch population available for forage. Walleye management can be effective on winterkill lakes like Midge when fry are introduced opportunistically after a winterkill. However, regular maintenance stocking is generally not conducted on winterkill lakes. The small number of walleye (3) captured in the 2010 assessment originated from earlier post winterkill fry stocking events. Fish captured were large, with an average weight of 3.1 pounds. Although present, walleye numbers may not be significant enough to warrant targeted fishing effort.

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Are there any state parks near Midge Lake?