Little Moose Lake

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Little Moose Lake is a class 31 lake located 14 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, MN. The outlet of Little Moose Lake flows into Moose Lake that flows into the Deer River and eventually to the Mississippi River. The lake has one earthen public access and low shoreline development. The 2002 lake management plan indicates muskellunge as the primary species of management with black crappie, bluegill, and walleye as secondary species. The 2011 assessment also included additional sampling of near shore fish species in order to calculate an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score.

Black crappie were sampled with gill nets (4.0 fish/net) and trap nets (5.9 fish/net) effectively in the 2011 assessment. The catches for both gears were above the lake class third quartiles but were typical for Little Moose Lake. The sampled fish were similar in size for both gears. The gill net sampled fish ranged from 4.5 to 9.2 inches and had a mean length of 8.0 inches while the trap net sampled fish ranged from 3.6 to 9.7 inches and had a mean length of 7.3 inches. Eight year-classes from 1 to 8 years old were identified from scales. Growth was poor compared to statewide averages with fish averaging 7.5 inches after five years of growth. The slower growth is consistent with the higher density population.

Trap-net catch rates for bluegill have been below the lake class first quartile (6.1 fish/net) in all but one assessment. The trap-net catch was 4.6 fish/net in 2011. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.3 to 9.1 inches and had a mean length of 6.9 inches. Eight age-classes were identified from scales ranging from age 1 to age 9. Age-5 fish were the most commonly sampled. In general, growth was average; however, mean back-calculated lengths-at-age were greater than (>115% of median) those reported for class 31 lakes for older ages.

Largemouth bass were sampled by spring night electrofishing for the first time in 2011. The catch of 15.0 largemouth bass/hr on-time would suggest a low density population. Largemouth bass ranged from 11.8 to 18.2 inches with a mean length of 14.6 inches. Nine year-classes were identified from scales ranging from age 3 to age 11. Growth was similar to the statewide averages for all ages.

Muskellunge are not sampled effectively using our standard summer assessment gear. As a result, only one muskellunge was captured and it was 28.5 inches and weighed 6.1 pounds. Muskellunge were sampled during a spring assessment in 2011 (see Little Moose Lake Muskellunge Special Assessment for details). Ten large-framed trap nets were set on 4/26/11 and were lifted for 12 days. A total of 15 muskellunge were captured of which two were recaptures from earlier in the assessment. Two of the fish had previously been caught and marked in Moose Lake; thus documenting migration from Moose Lake. These fish were both last observed in Moose Lake in the spring of 2009. The sampled fish ranged from 31.8 to 47.7 inches and had a mean length of 41.6 inches.

Northern pike gill-net catch rates have been fairly stable (4.5 to 12.2 fish/net) since 1974. The northern pike gill-net catch was 6.0 in 2011 which was near the lake class median of 6.7 fish/net. The sampled fish ranged from 18.4 to 31.6 inches and had a mean length of 22.4 inches. Northern pike were not aged in this assessment.

Walleye catch rates have generally been stable ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 since 1979. In 2011, the catch was below the first quartile value and the lowest on record at 0.5 fish/gill net. The sampled fish ranged from 18.1 to 20.7 inches and had a mean length of 19.6 inches. Three year-classes from age 4 to 9 were identified from scales and opercles. Growth was similar to statewide averages for all ages. Walleye averaged 16.1 inches at age 4. It appears the population has been maintained by immigration from Moose Lake since good spawning habitat is limited in Little Moose Lake. Lower population numbers may follow periods of low water level that could hinder immigration from Moose Lake.

Yellow perch gill-net catch rates have been relatively stable in the last few assessments. In 2011, the catch was 28.2 fish/gill net, which is between the lake class median and third quartile value. The sampled fish ranged from 5.3 to 7.9 inches and had a mean length of 6.1 inches. Age and growth information was not collected. Based on the size distribution, anglers would not likely target yellow perch but they remain an important part of the fish community as a prey species.

Other species observed during the population assessment included bowfin, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass and white sucker. Additional species observed during IBI sampling included banded killifish, blackchin shiner, bluntnose minnow, brook stickleback, central mudminnow, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, least darter, longear sunfish, and tadpole madtom. The least darter is considered a species of concern in Minnesota while the longear sunfish has very spotty distribution.

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