Whitefish Lake

How big is Whitefish Lake?

How deep is Whitefish Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Whitefish Lake?

Are there boat launches on Whitefish Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Whitefish Lake?

Whitefish Lake is in lake class 27, located in the Big Fork River watershed and the Chippewa National Forest. Class 27 lakes are medium sized, walleye-centrarchid lakes with moderately hard water. Other area lakes in class 27 include Round, Little Jessie and Little Winnibigoshish. Whitefish Lake has a surface area of 563 acres and a maximum depth of 51 feet. Whitefish Lake is managed primarily for walleye and northern pike.

The walleye gill-net catch rate in the 2008 assessment was 4.8/net. This catch rate is slightly below the lake class median, but similar to the long-term average for Whitefish Lake and up from the previous assessment (2.7/net in 1998). Sampled walleye ranged from 9.7 to 22.6 inches, with a mean length of 16.8 inches and a mean weight of 1.8 pounds. Ages 1-6 and 10-12 were represented in the sample, all from natural reproduction. No walleye have been stocked in Whitefish Lake since 1973. Age 2 fish (2006 year class) made up 42% of the sample. Mean back-calculated length-at-age was greater than 115% of the statewide average for ages 1-6, and was similar to the statewide average for all other ages.

The northern pike gill-net catch rate was 6.1/net, just above the lake class median (5.1) and down substantially from the 1998 catch of 17.4/net. Sampled pike ranged from 12.0 to 22.7 inches, with a mean length of 18.1 inches and a mean weight of 1.2 pounds. Ages 1-5 were represented in the sample and growth was similar to the statewide average for all ages.

Yellow perch and tullibee, important prey species for walleye and northern pike, were both sampled at rates below their expected ranges. Yellow perch were sampled at 5.9/gill net and ranged from 4.6 to 11.3 inches, with a mean length of 6.9 inches. Tullibee were sampled at 0.3/gill net with a mean length of 7.5 inches.

Net catches for black crappie and pumpkinseed sunfish have generally been low in all assessments. In the 2008 assessment, black crappie were caught at a rate below the expected range and varied from 4.3 to 10.2 inches with a mean length of 7.5 inches. Pumpkinseed sunfish were caught at a rate of 2.2/trap net, within the normal range but down from the previous assessment (7.0/trap net in 1998). Sampled pumpkinseed sunfish ranged in length from 3.5 to 8.2 inches, with a mean length of 5.2 inches. Bluegill were sampled for the first time in 2008 at a catch rate of 2.1/net. Sampled bluegill ranged from 3.0 to 9.2 inches, with a mean length of 4.0 inches.

Other species sampled included bowfin, burbot, rock bass, white sucker and yellow bullhead.

What is the average air temp for Whitefish Lake?

Are there any state parks near Whitefish Lake?