Beatrice Lake

How big is Beatrice Lake?

How deep is Beatrice Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Beatrice Lake?

Are there boat launches on Beatrice Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Beatrice Lake?

Beatrice Lake is a 123-acre lake located four miles northwest of Side Lake, MN. The lake has a maximum depth of 29 ft and four miles of shoreline with many points and bays. A public access with limited parking and state campground are located in the northwest bay. Beatrice Lake was clear with Secchi disk reading of 9.2 ft and previous water chemistry samples indicated low productivity. Primary fish species include northern pike, walleye and panfish.

The northern pike gill net catch rate was 0.8/net and was lower than the expected range for similar lakes. Catch rates in past assessments have varied from 0.3 to 9.5/net and catch rates in the last three assessments have been lower, varying from 0.3 to 3.0/net. Low catch rates generally correspond to good growth rates and size structure. Size structure was good with fish up to 30 inches and growth was faster than the statewide average with fish averaging 24 inches by age 4.

Walleye gill net catch rate was 2.0/net, which was higher than the median catch rate of 1.3/net for similar lakes. Catch rates in the last three assessments varied from 1.2 to 2.3/net. Walleye varied in length from 12.3 to 19.5 inches. Growth was faster than the statewide average with fish averaging 15 inches by age three. Four year classes representing ages one to four were present. Walleye have been stocked many times in the past and did not increase the population. Natural reproduction is currently providing a better than average population with several year classes.

The bluegill catch rate was 1.4/trap net and was lower than the expected range for similar lakes. Catch rates in past assessments have also been low, varying from 0 to 11.8/trap net and four of the five assessments were less than 5.0/net. Size structure was poor and only one fish was larger than 8 inches. Scales were not collected for age and growth in this assessment.

Catch rates for black crappie were 1.0/gill net and 0.7/trap net. Catch rates were at the lower end of the expected range for similar lakes. Catch rates in past assessments varied from 0.2 to 3.5/trap net. Although few fish were sampled, size structure was good with fish up to 11.9 inches sampled. Growth was slower than the statewide average for ages one and two and faster than the average for ages three and four.

Yellow perch gill net catch was 6.5/gill net; higher than any previous assessment, and within the expected range for similar lakes. Catch rates in past assessments have been low varying from 1.0 to 5.8/gill net. Size structure was poor and only one fish exceeded 9 inches. Yellow perch are an important prey species and while their abundance is higher than previous assessments, it is lower than other more productive lakes and affects the ability of the lake to support predator species such as northern pike and walleye.

Beatrice Lake has a fairly simple fish community and the only other species sampled were white sucker and largemouth bass. Additional nearshore sampling using backpack electrofishing and seining sampled Johnny darter, bluntnose minnow, fathead minnow, golden shiner, mimic shiner and other young-of-the-year gamefish species previously sampled in gill nets and trap nets.

What is the average air temp for Beatrice Lake?

Are there any state parks near Beatrice Lake?