Hatch Lake

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What kind of fish can you catch in Hatch Lake?

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Hatch Lake is a 243-acre lake located 5 miles northwest of Marcell, MN in the Big Fork River watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 88 feet and 49 littoral acres. Hatch Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 23. These are relatively deep, medium-sized lakes with clear water. Other area lakes in Class 23 include Big Too Much, LaCroix and Ruby Lakes. The lake management plan lists Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike as the primary management species.

Spring night electrofishing was used to sample Smallmouth Bass since this method is often more effective than standard test netting. The 2013 catch rate was 54.2 fish/hour of on-time. This is a relatively high catch rate indicating a strong bass population. Similar sampling in 2000 yielded a catch rate of 51.5/hour. Size structure was good; electrofished Smallmouth Bass in 2013 ranged from 5.6 to 19.6 inches with a mean length of 14.9 inches. Recruitment appeared consistent with fish up to age 18 estimated from scales and otoliths. Growth was average with fish reaching 15.3 inches at age 6.

The gill-net catch rate for Northern Pike was 3.5/net. This catch is within the lake class expected range but lower than other recent assessments. Size structure was moderate, with a few fish over 28 inches in the sample. Northern Pike ranged from 17.5 to 38.2 inches with a mean length of 23.1 inches. Ages 2 through 8 and 12 were represented in the sample. Growth appeared similar to the statewide average, with fish reaching 26.3 inches at age 6.

Tullibee were the most abundant species in the gill nets, sampled at 22.0/net. This catch is above the lake class expected range and higher than any previous survey. Sampled Tullibee ranged from 7.7 to 17.7 inches, with a mean length of 12.5 inches. Tullibee are an important prey species for larger gamefish like Northern Pike.

The gill-net catch for Lake Whitefish was within the expected range 1.8/net. This is similar to the catch rate in the 2000 assessment and the historical average for the lake (1.7). Sampled fish ranged from 15.2 to 22.8 inches with a mean length of 19.2 inches.

Bluegill were the most numerous fish in the trap nets with a catch rate of 3.4/net. This is below the lake class average and considerably lower than the 2000 catch rate of 17.1/trap net. Size structure was poor; sampled fish ranged from 3.0 to 8.3 inches with a mean length of 5.0 inches. Age structure showed a high proportion of young fish, with a dominant 2010 (age 3) year class. Growth was similar to the lake class average with Bluegill reaching 6.4 inches at age 6.

Other species sampled in test nets included Black Crappie, Bowfin, Common Shiner, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Rock Bass, Yellow Bullhead and Yellow Perch.

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