Timber Lake

How big is Timber Lake?

How deep is Timber Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Timber Lake?

What are the closest cities to Timber Lake?

Are there boat launches on Timber Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Timber Lake?

Timber Lake is a 192-acre lake located in northern Jackson County, near the City of Wilder. The lake has a maximum depth of eight feet. Because of its winterkill history, Timber Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch and secondarily for Black Crappie. Despite frequent winterkills, the Northern Pike and Yellow Perch populations have been consistently maintained over the last couple of decades. A survey was conducted the week of July 5, 2016 to monitor the fish population using one gill net and nine trap nets.

Yellow Perch are abundant in Timber Lake and were captured at a rate of 245.0 per gill net in 2016, much greater than catch rates we would expect to see in similar lakes (2.7 to 25.0 per gill net) and much greater than the long term average of 94.5 per gill net. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 4.3 to 10.5 inches and averaged 6.9 inches. Timber Lake has been an angling destination for the last couple of winters because of the steady action provided by the numerous Yellow Perch.

The Northern Pike catch rate was 0.0 per gill net, which is below the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes. Five Northern Pike were sampled in trap nets (0.6 per trap net), which is below the long term average of catch rates of 1.5 per trap net. Although not abundant, Northern Pike were large with lengths ranging from 24.7 to 34.0 inches and averaging 28.0 inches. 317 Adult Northern Pike were stocked in 2013, and 1,320 fingerling Northern Pike were stocked in the spring of 2016. If successful, the recent Northern Pike stockings should increase the number of Northern Pike in Timber Lake.

From 1985 to 1998, Black Crappie catch rates averaged 10.8 per trap net and reportedly provided good angling in the 1990's. Zero Black Crappies were sampled in the 2016 survey. Black Crappies are more vulnerable to low dissolved oxygen levels than the other managed species, so the population was likely decimated by frequent winterkills. If available, Black Crappies will be stocked in 2017 and after winterkill events.

The Black Bullhead catch rate was 30.0 per gill net and 16.2 per trap net, which are both low compared to similar lakes. Black Bullhead lengths ranged from 4.7 to 10.5 inches and averaged 7.1 inches. The Common Carp catch rate was 1.4 per trap net, which is low compared to similar lakes. Other species sampled included Bigmouth Buffalo, Orangespotted Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

What is the average air temp for Timber Lake?

Are there any state parks near Timber Lake?