Whisper Lake

How big is Whisper Lake?

How deep is Whisper Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Whisper Lake?

What are the closest cities to Whisper Lake?

Are there boat launches on Whisper Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Whisper Lake?

Whisper Lake is 46 acres and located three miles north of Babbitt. The accesses are a 37 rod portage off Forest Road 903 from the north and a 60 rod portage from Birch Lake, from the south. The lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet and clear water. The entire shoreline is publicly owned Superior National Forest land. Most of the shoreline is either forested and rocky or bog fringe. A few campsites are located along the north shore of the lake past where the portage ends. Whisper Lake was thermally stratified on July 11, 2016 with a surface temperature of 73 F and a bottom temperature of 48 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 12 feet. There are no major inlets or outlets on Whisper Lake. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline consist of sand, muck, rubble, and boulder. Aquatic vegetation is very sparse and confined mostly to the northeast and southeast bays. Since 1986 Whisper Lake has been stocked with walleye fry every other year. Prior to that the lake was stocked with sunfish, largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill at different times. This is the seventh fisheries survey done on Whisper Lake. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 10.5 fish/net which is low compared to other previous surveys on the lake. Fish species sampled were white sucker, walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and bluegill. The overall trap net catch rate was 17.7 fish/net which is similar to the only other survey that used trap nets done in 1996. Black crappie was the only additional fish species sampled in trap nets. Walleye numbers in 2016 (1 fish/gill net) were quite low compared to historic surveys of the lake. They were also low compared to similar lakes in the state. Trap net catches did not fare much better with a catch rate of 0.7 fish/net, which was much lower than the 1996 survey at 7.8 fish/net. Sizes from the 2016 catch ranged from 13 to 18 inches with an average of 16.5 inches and nearly a pound and a half. Largemouth bass have been in Whisper Lake since the first survey in 1964. The 2016 gill net catch rate was 1 fish/net which is comparable to the historic average for Whisper Lake of 0.5 fish/net. The trap net catch was 1.1 fish/net in 2016, also comparable to the 1996 trapnet catch rate of 0.8 fish/net. Largemouth sizes ranged from 8 to 14 inches with an average near 11 inches. Ages were 2 to 4 years old and growth appeared quite good. This was the first survey to sample smallmouth bass in Whisper Lake. Two were sampled in gill nets and 20 were caught in trap nets (2.2 fish/net). Lengths ranged from 7 to nearly 15 inches with an average of 9.5 inches. Ages ranged from 2 to 6 years old with a four year old fish averaging a little over 11 inches. Like the largemouth, the smallmouth growth appears to be quite good in Whisper Lake. Trap nets captured bluegill at the rate of 11.3 fish/net which is better than average compared to other similar lakes. Sizes ranged from 4 to nearly 9 inches with an average of 6 inches. Bluegill ages ranged from two to five. On average, a four year old bluegill was 7 inches long. This is very good growth compared to other lakes with bluegill populations in the area. Six black crappie were sampled in trap nets for a catch rate of 0.7 fish/net. Like the smallmouth, this is the first survey to sample black crappie. Sizes were small ranging from 6 to 7 inches. Sucker numbers in 2016 (7.0 fish/gill net) were higher than normal compared to other similar lakes, but lower than average for Whisper Lake. Sucker sizes were quite impressive with an average length of 18 inches and over two and a half pounds per fish. Some of the smallmouth bass were infested with neascus (black spot) although the bluegill were all relatively clean.

What is the average air temp for Whisper Lake?

Are there any state parks near Whisper Lake?