Oyster Lake

How big is Oyster Lake?

How deep is Oyster Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Oyster Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Oyster Lake?

Oyster Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 7, which consists of 41 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are large, have very irregular shoreline shapes, and have very soft (infertile) water. Oyster Lake is dissimilar to most Class 7 lakes in that it is smaller, deeper, and has a more uniform shoreline shape. These differences are probably due to the unusual shape of Oyster Lake, which consists of one large, deep basin and one small, shallow basin.Oyster Lake stratifies thermally in midsummer, but retains good oxygen (more than 5 ppm) to the bottom. The rocky shoreline drops off to deep water very quickly, and there is very little aquatic vegetation.The total catch of fish in 1996 (all species combined) was below normal for Lake Class 7, but was similar to previous assessment catches in this lake. Lake Class 7 is one of the more productive lake classes in northeast Minnesota in terms of fish biomass, but as mentioned earlier, Oyster Lake is not typical of this lake class.Fish populations in 1996 were dominated by lake trout, white sucker, northern pike, and rock bass.Lake trout numbers in 1996 were higher than in previous assessments. Most earlier assessments captured few lake trout, although assessment crews reported good angling. Lake trout sizes averaged 14.4 in; the largest was 28.4 in (7.3 lb).Northern pike numbers in 1996 were near the average for this lake class, but were lower than in recent assessments. Pike sizes averaged 22.7 in; the largest was 30.8 in. Pike growth, 25 in at age four, was faster than average for the area. Pike reproduction was fairly even from year-to-year. Some of the pike were sent to the Environmental Protection Agency for a study on mercury accumulation in fish.Sucker numbers were normal for this lake class and were similar to previous assessments. Rock bass numbers were higher than normal for this lake class, but were similar to previous assessments. Other fish species captured in low numbers in 1996 were cisco, burbot, and smallmouth bass. Cisco sizes were small; the largest was 9.2 in. Smallmouth numbers were low, but growth (11 in at age four) was faster than average for the area. Smallmouth may be more abundant than indicated by this assessment as they are not easily caught in gillnets.

What is the average air temp for Oyster Lake?