Whitefish Lake

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Whitefish Lake is a eutrophic, 226-acre, class 38 lake with a maximum depth of 18 feet. Blue-green algal blooms are common during most summers and dissolved oxygen can become low during severe winters leading to periodic winterkills. Low winter dissolved oxygen levels were reported in 1994, 2004, 2006 and 2013. A moderate to heavy winterkill occurred in 2004, while light winterkills may have occurred in 2006 and 2013. Walleye fry and Black Crappie brood fish were stocked following the winterkill in 2004. The outlet of Whitefish Lake is a tributary to the Poplar River and several fish species are able to repopulate the lake following winterkill.

Northern Pike have historically been the primary gamefish species in Whitefish Lake, although their population numbers have fluctuated greatly. The Northern Pike gill net catch rate in 2015 was 8.7 fish per net compared to the lake's historical average of 9.7 per net. The historical high catch rate of 19.5 fish per net occurred in the previous survey in 2005. Northern Pike sampled in gill nets in 2015 averaged 22.1 inches and 2.4 pounds. No Northern Pike older than five years old were sampled.

The 2015 Walleye gill net catch rate set a historic high of 4.0 fish per net. The next highest catch rate was 1.5 fish per net, recorded in both 1989 and 1995 assessments. Sampled Walleyes ranged 8.6-25.6 inches in length with an average length of 19.2 inches. The Walleye population is maintained primarily by stocking of fry in odd years, and Walleyes averaged 16.3 inches by the time they are four years old.

Yellow Perch are a relatively winterkill resistant species and they were found to be more abundant in Whitefish Lake than in other similar lakes in the state. The 2015 gill net catch rate of 54.2 fish per net was near the lake average of 53.2 fish per net. The average length of Yellow Perch was 6.8 inches and lengths ranged from 5.3-9.1 inches.

Largemouth Bass were present in the 1989 survey and adult Bluegills were stocked in 1990. Black Crappies were found in several previous studies and were stocked as adult brood fish in 2004. However, no Bluegills or Black Crappie were sampled in this survey. One young of the year Largemouth Bass and two hybrid sunfish were captured suggesting at least some adult fish from the sunfish family are present in Whitefish Lake.

Black Bullheads are very abundant in Whitefish Lake. Bullhead abundance is typically indexed with trap nets, but the 2015 trap net catch rate of Black Bullheads was 0.1 fish per net while 155.8 Black Bullheads were caught per gill net. Black Bullheads averaged 7.6 inches in length. Comparatively, the gillnet catch of Brown Bullheads was only 0.33 fish per net.

Common Carp have migrated into Whitefish Lake and catch rates have fluctuated from 0.0-1.56 per net. Only one Common Carp was captured in 2015 for a catch rate of 0.11 per trap net. The captured Common Carp was large at 34.5 inches in length.

Anglers can help to maintain balance in fish populations by voluntarily releasing a portion of medium and large fish and keeping smaller ones for eating. This is particularly true for Northern Pike and Bluegill. Shoreline owners and other watershed dwellers can help to maintain or improve water quality and fish habitat by leaving shoreline buffer zones, by leaving stands of native aquatic vegetation intact, by taking precautions to prevent invasive species introductions, and by using wise land management practices.

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