Minister Lake

How big is Minister Lake?

How deep is Minister Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Minister Lake?

What are the closest cities to Minister Lake?

Are there boat launches on Minister Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Minister Lake?

Minister Lake is a 56 acre lake located five miles northwest of Ely. The access is a small earthen ramp suitable for small boats on the southeast side of the lake, just off the Passi Road. The lake has a maximum depth of 16 feet and brown colored water. The northwest part of the shoreline on Minister is Superior National Forest land but the remainder of the shoreline is in private ownership. Most of the shoreline is either rock or bog fringe.

Minister Lake was thermally stratified on July 5, 2016 with a surface temperature of 73 F and a bottom temperature of 63 F. Adequate oxygen for most fish was retained to a depth of about 12 feet, where the temperature was 66 F. Minister has one small inlet draining local marshland and the lone outlet is to Burntside Lake. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly silt, boulder, rubble, and gravel. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 7 feet.

Minister Lake has not been stocked with walleye since the late 1980's. Surveys done around the time the lake was stocked showed lower catch rates than surveys done after stocking had been discontinued.

This is the seventh fisheries survey on Minister Lake, the initial survey was done in 1966.

The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 11.5 fish/net which is average compared to other surveys on the lake. Fish species sampled were walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, and white sucker. The overall trap net catch rate was 9.2 fish/net. In addition to the species sampled in gill nets, bluegill, black crappie, and largemouth bass were sampled in trap nets.

The 2016 walleye gillnet catch rate was 5 fish/net which is above average compared to the historic surveys on Minister Lake. The trapnet catch rate was 2 fish/net which is very good compared to other similar lakes in Minnesota. Trapnet catches are normally not used to assess walleye populations, but on Minister Lake and several other similar area lakes, trap nets have historically sampled walleye populations quite well. Walleye lengths ranged from 8 to 24 inches with an average of 17.5 inches and an average weight of just over two pounds. Growth was quite good with four year old fish averaging 17 inches. Most of the fish were ages one to four.

The northern pike gillnet catch was 3.5 fish/net which is below average compared to other similar lakes in the state. The trapnet catch however was 4 fish/net which is tied for the highest on record for Minister Lake. Sizes ranged from 12 to 27 inches with an average of 20 inches. The average weight was just under two pounds.

Two largemouth were captured in trap nets with one bass being quite impressive at 19 inches and over three and a half pounds. The other was much smaller at just 7 inches long.

Surveys before and during the 1980's showed relatively high bluegill catches, but the catch rates have dropped since. The average catch rate before 1990 was 20.8 fish/trap net. The three surveys from 1996 to 2016 averaged just 3 fish/net. The 2016 catch was still good compared to other similar lakes in the northeast. Some large fish were present with sizes ranging from 4 to over 9 inches with an average of just under 7 inches. Growth was fast with four year old fish averaging 7 inches which is very good compared to other surveys in the Tower area.

Black crappie, yellow perch, and white sucker were also sampled but in low numbers.

Some smaller sized northern pike were infested with neascus (black spot) although the bluegill were all relatively clean.

What is the average air temp for Minister Lake?

Are there any state parks near Minister Lake?