Triangle Lake

How big is Triangle Lake?

How deep is Triangle Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Triangle Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Triangle Lake?

Triangle Lake is located 13 miles east of Ely. There are two "remote" public accesses. The most commonly used access is a 50 yard roller portage between the southern shore of Ojibway Lake and the northern shore of Triangle Lake. The other access is on the southern shore and is a 160 rod portage to the North Kawishiwi River. This 300 acre lake contains no major inlets and only one outlet which is about 90 ft long and drops 4 ft in elevation to Ojibway Lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet and the water color at the time of the survey was green with a slight algae bloom. On July 28, 2014 Triangle was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 73F and a bottom temperature of 43F. Oxygen levels were adequate to a depth of 22 feet where the water temperature was 48F. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Triangle Lake are mostly boulder, rubble, gravel, and ledgerock. Aquatic plants have been greatly reduced by rusty crayfish. Pondweeds were common in the 1975 fisheries lake survey, but are rare today. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 14.0 fish/net which is slightly below the average catch rate for the lake. Fish species sampled in gill nets were walleye, northern pike, white sucker, yellow perch, tullibee, smallmouth bass, rock bass, largemouth bass, and burbot. The overall trapnet catch rate for all fish combined was 11.0 fish/net which ranks second out of seven assessments that used trap nets on this lake. Fish species sampled were rock bass, bluegill, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and white sucker. Forty-five walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 5.0 fish/gill net. This catch rate is very good compared to other similar lakes throughout the state. This catch rate also ranks 8th out of 10 previous surveys, the highest catch rate being 13.4 fish/net in 1998. Fish captured in gill nets ranged in size from 10 to 30 inches with an average of 13 inches. Walleyes averaged 1.3 pounds which is just below average when compared to other similar lakes. Growth rates were very good when compared to other investigations of lakes in the Tower area. Ages ranged from 1 to 18. The 2012 year class was by far the strongest with 64% of the total catch coming from that year. The largest walleye captured in 2014 was 30 inches which is the largest walleye captured from the lake to date. The northern pike gillnet catch was 2.6 fish/net which is very good compared to other similar lakes throughout the state but fairly average when compared to other surveys from Triangle Lake. Average weight was 5.2 lbs/fish which is very good compared to similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 20 to 41 inches with an average of 28 inches. This average length is better than the historic average of 23 inches. Seven smallmouth bass were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 0.8 fish/net which is slightly above average compared to similar lakes and near the historic average for Triangle Lake. The average weight was 1.5 lbs. Lengths ranged from 12 to 15 inches with an average of 14 inches which is better than the historic average of 12 inches. Growth was good when compared to other Tower area lakes. Ages ranged from 3 to 5 years. Cisco numbers averaged 17.2/gillnet in three investigations from 1975 through 1983, then gradually declined and have been less than 1.0/gillnet in the last five investigations. This decline was coincident with the introduction and expansion of walleye and rusty crayfish populations. The 2014 catch was slightly better at 1.2 fish/net, but certainly not a major bump. Cisco lengths ranged from 8 to 17 inches with an average of 11 inches. Size structure has remained relatively unchanged over the years. Twenty-five bluegill were captured in trap nets for a rate of 2.8 fish/net which is low compared to other similar lakes throughout the state. The average weight was 0.1 lb/fish. Lengths ranged from 4 to 6 inches. Sizes were on par with previous surveys as it appears the lake has always had a small population of relatively small sized bluegills. Rock bass numbers were high with 55 fish sampled in trap nets for a CPUE of 6.1 fish/net. This catch rate is quite high compared to other similar lakes throughout the state. This seems normal for Triangle Lake though as the historic average trapnet catch is nearly 4.0 fish/net. Lengths ranged from 5 to 6 inches. Rusty crayfish (an invasive species) were first observed in the 1986 investigation and "many" were reported in the gill nets in 1989. Subsequent counts of rusty crayfish caught in gill nets have bounced around but generally remained high over time: 22.5/net in 1991, 12.5/net in 1993 112.0/net in 1998, 67.1/net in 2003, 32.0/net in 2008, and 28.7/net in 2014. Many rusty crayfish can be seen scurrying in the gravelly shallows along the shoreline of this lake.

What is the average air temp for Triangle Lake?

Are there any state parks near Triangle Lake?