Slate Lake

How big is Slate Lake?

How deep is Slate Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Slate Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Slate Lake?

Slate Lake is located 12 miles west and 5 miles north of Isabella in the Superior National Forest. Historically the lake has been known as a pretty good lake for angling for Walleye and Northern Pike lake. Although, most of the fish caught are usually on the small side there is an occasional large fish caught. There is no designated public access. However, the lake can be accessed from highway right-of-way at the outlet, then motor up the Stony River to the lake. The lake is 293 acres with a maximum depth of seven feet. Boulder, rubble, muck, and detritus are common around most of the lake with gravel and sand in a couple of locations. Vegetation grows to an approximate depth of five and half feet with 29 species present. Two inlets enter the lake. Camp E Creek enters on the east end with a long finger bay ending at a beaver dam. The main flow comes from the Stony River which enters on the south end. One outlet, (Stony River) exits on the southwest end of the lake at the bridge on State Highway 1. There are a few homes present along the north shore of the outlet channel. Slate Lake is a shallow lake with very dark water. There are many boulders scattered throughout the lake and boaters should use caution when traveling on the lake.

The Walleye population is maintained through natural reproduction in Slate Lake. In 2014, Walleye were sampled in average numbers as they have been in most of the past assessments on this lake. The gill net catch of 4.5/lift was slightly less than average for this type of lake class in Northeastern Minnesota but was similar to the previous four investigations. Average weight of 2.2 pounds was above average and was strongly influenced by two fish greater than 5.7 pounds. The largest fish sampled was 25.2 inches and weighed 6.2 pounds. Growth was average for the Finland Area.

The Northern Pike gill net catch of 4.2/lift was average for lake class this type of lake class in Northeastern Minnesota with an average weight of 1.4 pounds which was the largest in the past four investigations. The largest fish sampled in all gear types was 35.6 inches and weighed 10.9 pounds. Reproduction appears to be consistent over the years and growth is about average for the Finland Area.

Yellow Perch gill net catch of 8.7/lift was slightly above average and near the catch the past four investigations. Average weight of 0.2 pounds was also slightly above average but matched the previous low the past four investigations. The largest fish sampled was 11.1 inches and weighed 0.6 pounds; 21% of the catch was larger than nine inches. Reproduction was consistent with only one year class missing between age-2 and age-10. Growth was about average for the Finland Area.

There are some Largemouth Bass present, but none were caught in this survey. Largemouth Bass population cannot effectively be evaluated with the type of sampling gear used in this assessment. This species is best evaluated using electrofishing equipment; however, due to access limitations this equipment cannot be used on Slate Lake.

Smallmouth Bass gill net catch of 1.3/lift was slightly below average. The average weight of 2.1 pounds was much higher than average. The largest fish sampled was 18.4 inches and weighed 3.2 pounds. Little can be said about reproduction with only eight fish sampled, however; growth appeared much faster than the Finland Area average. Smallmouth Bass are recent introduction and were first sampled in Slate Lake in 2005. Seven of the eight fish sampled came from the two nets set in the bay referred to as Spider Lake.

Bluegill are another recent introduction in Slate Lake and were first sampled in 1999. In 2014, the Bluegill trap net catch of 0.8/lift was slightly below average but the average weight of 0.9 pounds was more than three times the lake class average. The largest fish sampled was 10.6 inches and weighed 1.1 pounds. Reproduction appears very sporadic with only three year classes sampled. Growth was faster than the Finland Area average. The fish community in Slate Lake seems to be changing with the arrival of Bluegill and Smallmouth Bass as evidenced by the last two investigations. At this point not a lot is known about the Bluegill and Bass populations in the lake other than there are some very nice sized fish present. Fishermen should show restraint harvesting the big Bluegills as it takes about 10 years to grow to 1 pound.

What is the average air temp for Slate Lake?

Are there any state parks near Slate Lake?