Three Island Lake

How big is Three Island Lake?

How deep is Three Island Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Three Island Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Three Island Lake?

Three Island Lake is a 235-acre lake located 5 miles east of Marcell, MN. The lake is moderately developed and has very clear water with a Secchi disk reading of 23 ft. Three Island Lake is deep with a maximum depth of 66 ft and is accessible by a portage trail from Crooked Lake. Previous water chemistry indicated low fertility which impacts the fishery through slow growth and reduced abundance. Primary fish species include smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike and panfish.

Smallmouth and largemouth bass were sampled by night electrofishing in early June. Three Island Lake historically has a high density smallmouth bass population with quality fish. The catch rate in 2012 was 121.9/hour and was similar to past assessments which varied from 65 to 120/hour. Size structure was good with fish up to 20 inches sampled. Growth was slow with fish averaging 13.5 inches by age six compared to 20.5 inches at age six for the statewide average. Although growth was slow, fish up to age 12 were sampled. Despite slow growth, smallmouth in Three Island Lake live long enough to attain a large size. Anglers can help maintain the quality smallmouth bass population by releasing larger fish because it can take 10 years or longer to grow a 20 inch fish.

Largemouth bass were less abundant and had an electrofishing catch rate of 4.5/hour and was similar to past assessments. Size structure was good with fish up to 17 inches sampled. Growth was also slow with fish averaging 13.5 inches at age six compared to 15.1 inches for the statewide average.

The northern pike gill net catch rate was 3.0/net and was at the lower end of the expected range for similar lakes. Northern pike were not sampled in the first two assessments in 1968 and 1974 and catch rates in assessments since then have varied from 4.0 to 8.6/gill net. Size structure in 2012 was moderate with fish up to 30 inches sampled. Previous assessments had sampled fish up to 39 inches. Growth was faster than the statewide average to age seven and slower than the average to age nine.

The bluegill catch rate was 4.7/trap net and was lower than the expected range for similar lakes. Catch rates in past assessments have been variable from 3.0 to 37.5/trap net. Size structure was poor with only two fish sampled larger than 8 inches. Size structure has also been poor in past assessments, likely due to the low fertility of the lake.

Three walleye were sampled for a catch rate of 0.5/gill net which was below the expected range. Walleye catch rates have generally been low and walleye were not sampled in the first two assessments in 1968 and 1974. Walleye have not been stocked and the population is maintained through natural reproduction. Yellow perch are an important prey species for walleye and their low catch rates likely limits the walleye population.

Yellow perch catch rates have been less than 1/gill net in all assessments except in 1982 when the catch rate was 10.8/net. Only one yellow perch was sampled by trap nets in 2012. Low yellow perch catch rates likely limits the population of walleye and northern pike.

Three Island Lake has a fairly simple fish community and white sucker was the only other species sampled. Because Three Island Lake is a small, deep and fairly sterile, net catches are generally light. In 2012, six gill nets sampled a total of 45 fish and trap nets sampled 52 fish.

What is the average air temp for Three Island Lake?

Are there any state parks near Three Island Lake?