Pelican Lake

How big is Pelican Lake?

How deep is Pelican Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Pelican Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Pelican Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Pelican Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Pelican Lake East

Pelican Lake West

Are there boat launches on Pelican Lake?

Pelican Lake area businesses:

Are there places to eat and drink near Pelican Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for Pelican Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations Pelican 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?

Pelican is a 10,945 acre lake located west of Highway 53 at Orr, MN. Slightly over half (54%) of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Bass, panfish, northern pike, and yellow perch dominate the sport-fish community.

Special regulations protecting northern pike (24 to 38 inches) and largemouth and smallmouth bass (14 to 20 inches) were enacted in the spring of 1998 for a period of 10 years. The regulations were implemented to address concerns about declining northern pike quality and to protect the high quality bass fishery that was present. The northern pike regulation was modified in 2001; fish from 24 to 32 inches were protected. In 2008, the regulations were reviewed and the decision was to continue for an additional 10-year trial period. The bass regulation remained the same and the northern pike regulation was modified to match similar lakes in Minnesota (24 to 36 inches protected).

Most species have increased in abundance during the last 20 years. Generally, size and growth for all species has been maintained or improved during this time.

Black crappie trap-net abundance greatly exceeded the normal range for this lake type and was the third highest level ever observed in Pelican Lake. Length in trap nets ranged from 3.5 to 11.8 inches and the mean was 7.4. Many year-classes were represented and age ranged from 2 to 11. Several strong year-classes were present which should provide good fishing and consistent spawning for years.

Bluegill trap-net abundance was within the normal range for Pelican Lake. Length in trap nets ranged from 3.4 to 8.7 inches. Six year-classes were represented and age ranged from 2 to 8. The strongest year-classes were in 2011, 2012, and 2014; which should provide good fishing and consistent spawning for years.

Night electrofishing was used to sample largemouth and smallmouth bass on June 1 and 2, 2016. A total of 118 bass were captured.

Largemouth bass were captured at a rate of 21.32 per hour of on-time, which was similar to the level observed during the previous investigation. The highest level ever recorded was 54.0 fish per hour of on-time, which occurred in the 2007 investigation. In 2016, length ranged from 5.8 to 18.9 inches and the mean was 13.4. The mean length in 2016 was similar to 2011 (14.2 inches) but much greater than the three sampling events before 2011 (10.9 inches in 2007, 10.1 inches in 2006, and 10.4 inches in 2001).

Smallmouth bass were captured at a rate of 26.15 per hour of on-time, which was a dramatic decline from the record catch of 64.4 per hour of on-time observed in the 2007 survey and the lowest level observed since 2001. Length ranged from 4.1-19.5 inches. The mean lenth was 13.0 inches, which was greater than the four most recent sampling events (10.6 inches in 2011, 8.7 inches in 2007, 7.7 inches in 2006, and 10.5 inches in 2001).

Northern pike gill-net abundance was 11.9 fish/set, which was above the mean of 10.0 fish/set from 1959-2001 and well above the expected range for this lake type. In 2016, length ranged from 11.7 to 28.6 inches; 24.5 percent of northern pike were equal to or greater than 24.0 inches. Size has increased since the experimental regulations were enacted in 1998; the mean was 21.6 inches in 2016, compared to a mean of 18.3 in 1995. Growth appears to not have suffered, the rate was the similar in 2016 and 1995.

Walleye abundance was low for this lake type, which was consistent with what has been observed historically in Pelican Lake. However, although low, abundance in 2016 was the third highest level ever observed in Pelican Lake. The highest level was recorded in the previous investigation (2012). In 2016, mean length in the sample was 15.8 inches with a range from 7.9 to 27.8. Mean weight was 1.93 pounds, which was above the expected range for this lake type. Five year-classes were present and age ranged from 1-22 years. Age-2 fish represented 50 percent of sample and age-6 fish represented 31 percent. Growth rate was higher than the average observed in other area lakes.

Yellow perch abundance was over six times greater than the expected range for this lake type. Fortunately, sizes are present that are attractive to anglers. The size range included fish up to 12.2 inches.

What is the average air temp for Pelican Lake?