South Farm Lake

How big is South Farm Lake?

How deep is South Farm Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in South Farm Lake?

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Are there places to eat and drink near South Farm Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for South Farm Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations South Farm Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

South Farm Lake is a 618 acre lake located about 5 miles southeast of Winton, MN. South Farm is located entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Access is via a navigable channel from Farm Lake or by paddling down an inlet from the Section 30 Road. South Farm is an entry point into the BWCAW. The US Forest Service maintains two campsites on the lake and there is a 25-hp motor restriction on the lake.

South Farm along with Garden and Farm Lakes make up the Garden Lake Reservoir. There is a dam located at the outlet of Garden Lake that discharges into Fall Lake. This dam, owned by Minnesota Power, impounds the reservoir and is used to generate hydropower.

The lakes of the Garden Lake Reservoir are managed primarily for their walleye and northern pike fisheries. A population assessment was conducted on Farm Lake during the summer of 2012 to determine the status of the fish community, the effectiveness of walleye fingerling stocking (1.0 lb/littoral acre biennially)and protected length limit (protected length limit of 17-26" with one over 26" in possession) and the impacts of a northern pike special regulation (protected length limit of 24-36" with one over 36" in possession).

Walleye made up 20% of the 2012 South Farm Lake gill-net catch by number and 19% by weight. Abundance in the gill-net catch (8.0/net) was the highest recorded since the intial survey in 1965. Abundance was above average for lakes in the same classification as South Farm. Walleye lengths in the catch ranged from 7.2 to 25.3 inches but generally were small with an average length of 11.4 inches. Seventy-seven percent of the catch was from years in which fingerling stocking occurred. Growth of South Farm Lake walleye was slow.

Because the Garden Lake Reservoir is an open system, fingerling stocking was evaluated concurrently for all three lakes. The results of the evaluation showed that walleye cohorts from years that were fingerling stocked contributed approximately 50% more to assessment catches than those cohorts from years in which no stocking occurred.

A special regulation was implemented for walleye in 2006 on the Garden Lake Reservoir requiring the immediate release of fish between 17 and 26 inches. One walleye over 26 inches is allowed in possession. The two assessments that have occurred since 2006 indicate that this regulation has met the goal of increasing abundance of walleye greater than 17 inches. The average gill-net catch of walleye greater than 17 inches from 2008-2012 was 0.93/net. The 1991-2004 average was 0.30. This represents a tripling in the number of walleye over 17 inches. In addition, the number of walleye over 26 inches has doubled.

Northern pike gill-net abundance in South Farm Lake in 2012 (1.8/net) was greater than the longterm average since 1965 (1.3/net). Pike abundance in South Farm Lake has typically been below average compared to other lakes in the same classification. Pike sampled during this assessment ranged from 20.9 to 27.8 inches with a mean of 23.8 inches. Previous assessments have reported maximum size as high as 42.3 inches.

Evaluation of the northern pike length regulation also included all the lakes of the reservoir. The special regulation on pike went into effect in 2003 and requires the immediate release of pike between 24 and 36 inches with one over 36 inches allowed in possession. The goal of the northern pike regulation was to increase the overall abundance of northern pike in the reservoir and specifically to increase the abundance of pike over 24 inches. The evaluation indicated that the special regulation appears to have attained its goal. The catch rate of pike over 24 inches increased from 0.38/net in 1991-1999 to 0.86/net in 2004-2012.

The cisco gill-net abundance in 2012 (14.2/net) was equal to the historic average for South Farm Lake. Generally, cisco abundance in South Farm Lake has been decreasing. The average gill-net abundance from 1965-1989 was 24.1/net however, since 1989 the average abundance was 6.6/net. Declining cisco abundance in Area lakes is not uncommon and may be related to increases in predator populations, rainbow smelt invasions or loss of habitat.

Smallmouth bass gill-net abundance was 1.0/net in 2012. The historic average for South Farm Lake was 0.3/net. No bass were caught in the lake prior to 1981. Gill-net catches of bass can be highly variable however, it does appear as if abundance in this lake is increasing.

The bluegill trap-net catch (7.0/net) was below the historic average for South Farm Lake but still exceeded the median for lakes in the same classification as South Farm. The bluegill catch was dominated by small, presumably two year old fish. Lengths ranged from 3.0 to 8.6 inches with an average of 5.4 inches. The historic average length is 6.3 inches. Two year olds made up 50% of the total bluegill catch and six year olds contributed an additional 25%.

The black crappie catch in 2012 was relatively low (1.6/net) compared to the average (2.8/net) for this lake. The size structure of the population favored good sized fish ranging from 5.5 to 13.1 inches. Sixty-eight percent of the crappie's caught during the assessment were larger than 10 inches in length.

Other species present during the 2012 survey included rock bass, yellow perch and white sucker. No rusty crayfish, a non-native species, were captured during the assessment in spite of their presence in neighboring Farm Lake. Rusty crayfish have had significant negative impacts on fish habitat in other Area lakes where they are present.

What is the average air temp for South Farm Lake?

Are there any state parks near South Farm Lake?