Lake Erskine

How big is Lake Erskine?

How deep is Lake Erskine?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lake Erskine?

Are there boat launches on Lake Erskine?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lake Erskine?

Erskine Lake is a small 40-acre water body, located in northeastern Itasca County that has 40% of its surface area over water that is less than 15 feet deep and has a maximum depth of 56 feet. The lake has good water clarity as indicated by a 16 ft Secchi disk reading and low fertility. (Total Phosphorous = 0.010 ppm or 10 ppb). The morphology and suitable environmental conditions where good oxygen levels are present in a coldwater layer during the midsummer makes this lake an ideal "designated trout lake".

Temperature and dissolved oxygen levels were measured during the most critical period in mid August (8/21/2008) when suitable levels for stream trout are at the most confining layer. The lake had developed a thermocline during the summer months where a layer of water temperatures between 18 and 29 feet dropped rapidly from the low 70s to the mid-forties. Water temperatures above the thermocline were about 74 degrees F that stream trout can tolerate for short periods while feeding. After feeding they are able to rest in water layers with more suitable water temperatures that contained sufficient dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen levels actually increased from 7.8 ppm above the thermocline to 12.5 ppm in the colder water within the thermocline and starting decreasing at the bottom of the thermocline and became insufficient (<5.0ppm) below 28 feet of water.

Rainbow trout have been stocked on a biennial schedule since proposed in the 2000 management plan. Since then rainbow trout have been stocked in the spring of 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Although rainbow trout were most recently stocked in May of 2007, 17 months previously, none were captured, indicating that each stocking is likely harvested the first year. The long-range goal for rainbow trout to provide a fishery that yields a catch rate of at least 0.2 fish/trap net was not achieved during this assessment.

Fingerling splake also have been stocked biennially according to the 2000 lake management plan in the fall of 2002, 2004, and 2006. Splake from the 2006 stocking, two years survival in the lake, dominated the catch as 67 of the 69 splake caught in trap nets were 13 to 18 inches in length. The two larger splake that were between 22 and 23 inches in length and weighted approximately 4.5 lbs were determined to be survivors from the 2004 stocking,four years previously. The long term goal for splake of maintaining a catch rate of 1.0 fish/trap net where 25% are greater than 16 inches in length was achieved for this assessment. The CPUE for trap nets was 3.5 fish/trap net and a total of 81 splake were captured from both gear types and 20 fish or 25% exceeded 16 inches in length.

Conditions within the lake seem to support good growth for splake. Splake from the net catches averaged about 15.0-16.0 inches and had attained a mean weight of 1.25 lbs. Although no statewide average are available for evaluating splake growth the splake from this assessment that were actually two and one/half year old fish (one-half year in the hatchery and two years in the lake) had exceeded the statewide average lengths for three- year-old rainbow trout, 12.8 inches, and three- year-old lake trout, 12.4 inches, by approximately 20% to 25%.

Two minnow traps were also set to check availability of prey species. Species captured in order of their abundance included northern redbelly dace (45.0 /set), fathead minnow (7.5 /set), finescale dace (6.0 /set)), and brook stickleback (4.0 /set).

What is the average air temp for Lake Erskine?

Are there any state parks near Lake Erskine?