Fish Lake

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Fish Lake is a 300-acre lake located southeast of Windom in Jackson County. The lake has 3.4 miles of shoreline, has a maximum depth of 26.0 feet, and is a class 24 lake. The lake is managed for smallmouth bass and walleye primarily while channel catfish, yellow perch, black crappie, and bluegill are managed secondarily. Fish Lake is one of only two lakes the Windom Fisheries Management Area manages for smallmouth bass. A fish population assessment was conducted with 3 gill nets, 9 trap nets, and day electrofishing (targeting bass) during the summer of 2015 from May (electrofishing) through July (netting).


WALLEYE

Walleye gill net and trap net catch rates in 2015 were 5.7 per gill net and 0.3 per trap net. Walleyes ranged in length from 7 to 25 inches with an average length of 16 to 17 inches. Seventy-three percent of Walleye caught in trap nets and gill nets were over 15 inches. Six different ages of Walleye were sampled in 2015; fish from 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. Three of the 6 age groups were from non-stocked years (2007, 2011, and 2013) indicating some natural reproduction exists. Stocking was continued in 2015 with 2,500 Lower Mississippi strain Walleye fingerlings in October. Lower Mississippi strain fingerlings are genetically unique and may have a genetic advantage to spawn more regularly in conditions currently found in SW MN. Stocking coupled with natural reproduction in Fish Lake should help to increase the abundance of Walleye in the lake and increase the number of smaller Walleye in the lake. Having smaller Walleye in the lake will ultimately balance the population and help to increase future opportunities for successful fishing year after year. The outlook for the 2016 ice and open water season should be good with decent abundances of 15 inch and larger Walleyes.


SMALLMOUTH BASS

Fifty-two Smallmouth Bass were sampled in gill nets, trap nets, and daytime electrofishing on Fish Lake in 2015. The gill net catch rate was 1.0 per gill net, the trap net catch rate was 0 per trap net, and the electrofishing catch rate was 48.4 per hour of electrofishing. The electrofishing sample is the most accurate indication of the abundance of Smallmouth Bass in the lake because Smallmouth Bass are not easily caught in nets. The long-term electrofishing catch rate of Smallmouth Bass on Fish Lake is near 30 per hour, so the current catch rate is well above the long-term average indicating an abundant population exists in the lake. The size of Smallmouth Bass in the sample ranged from 4 to just shy of 20 inches with a mean length of 11 inches. The Smallmouth Bass population appears to be balanced based on the data calculated from the sample collected. The trophy potential of the population appears to be increasing as well. Trophy Smallmouth Bass are considered those fish that reach 20 inches or larger. The largest fish in the sample was just shy of 20 inches with a length of 19.7 inches. Overall, the Smallmouth Bass population is doing well and angling opportunities for Smallmouth Bass should be good over the next several years with a balanced size structure.


YELLOW PERCH

Forty-three Yellow Perch were caught in the 2015 survey. All 43 were caught in the gill net sample for a catch rate of 14.3 per gill net. The catch rate was within the expected range. The 2015 catch is an increase over the previous survey in 2011 when the gill net catch rate was only 1.7 per net. The 2011 catch rate triggered a need for stocking. Adult Yellow Perch were stocked in 2012, 2013, and 2014 with a total of nearly 6,600. Yellow Perch ranged in length from 7 to 10 inches. Good numbers of large Yellow Perch are present in the lake and should be able to spawn and sustain the population over the next 5 years. The presence of a viable and healthy population of Yellow Perch is good for the Walleye and Smallmouth Bass population as a source of food and is good for anglers looking to catch harvestable Yellow Perch.


BLUEGILL

Fifty-nine Bluegill were caught in gill nets (6.3 per gill net) and trap nets (4.9 per trap net) ranging in length from 4 to 10 inches with an average length of 6 inches. The size distribution of Bluegill in the nets was good with 76% larger than 6 inches and 12% larger than 8 inches. Larger Bluegill should help to add to the number of potential spawners in the lake that may result in more regular natural reproduction over the next several years. Anglers reported good fishing for Bluegill during the entire open water season in 2015. The outlook for Bluegill fishing is good on Fish Lake and a large number of 6 inch plus Bluegill should result in good catch rates of larger Bluegill as the fish grow.


Other Species

In addition to Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Bluegill there were 6 other species sampled. The 6 species included Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Common Carp, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, and Pumpkinseed. Black Bullhead were 9 to 12 inches, Black crappie were 6 to 10 inches, Common Carp were 16 to 20 inches, Channel Catfish were 9 to 23 inches, Largemouth Bass were 4 to 20 inches, and the only pumpkinseed caught was 7 inches. Black Bullhead catch rates in gill nets (45.7) and trap nets (47.2) were above average. Black Crappie catch rates in gill nets (4.3) and trap nets (5.2) were within the average range. Common Carp were only caught in gill nets and the catch rate of 4.0 per gill net was above average. Channel Catfish were caught in both gill nets (10.0 per gill net) and trap nets (8.11 per trap net) and both catch rates were above average. Largemouth Bass were not caught in gill nets or trap nets, but 19 were caught by electrofishing with a catch rate of 18.8 per hour. The electrofishing catch rate of Largemouth Bass was the highest on record for Fish Lake! Finally, the Pumpkinseed catch rate was low with only 1 caught.


SUMMARY

Black Bullhead should provide a good forage base for the large Walleye in the lake. Positively, Common Carp abundance was not extremely high. Negatively, the top predator in the lake by biomass was not Walleye but instead was Channel Catfish. Continued stocking of Walleye should help to increase the biomass of Walleye but Channel Catfish should provide some decent fishing action at times. In addition, an abundant Black Bullhead forage base will improve the growth of large walleye also leading to a potential increase in Walleye growth. High abundances of Bass, as indicated by electrofishing, are also available as predators to control Black Bullhead and young Common Carp. At this time, the goal of fish management over the next 4 years is continued stocking of Walleye with another netting survey in 2019. Lower Mississippi strain Walleye fingerling stocking was initiated in 2015 with the hope of increasing the potential of a naturally reproducing population of Walleye. The stocking of Lower Mississippi strain Walleye will continue and genetics of Walleye during the 2019 survey will be evaluated to determine contribution of this strain to the Fish Lake Walleye population. Overall, Walleye, Bass, Channel Catfish, and Bluegill fishing should be good over the next several years.

Prepared By Nate Hodgins

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