Lake Hattie

How big is Lake Hattie?

How deep is Lake Hattie?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lake Hattie?

What are the closest cities to Lake Hattie?

Are there boat launches on Lake Hattie?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lake Hattie?

Lake Hattie is a shallow, hyper-eutrophic basin located in Stevens County, three miles south of Alberta. An improved DNR public access is located on the northwest shoreline. Maximum depth is approximately 9.0 feet. Low water can restrict navigation in some areas. Large rocks on the lake bed can cause watercraft damage.

Dense algal blooms and suspended sediment limit water clarity during much of the summer. Secchi disk measurements have rarely exceeded 3.0 feet. Rooted aquatic plants are scarce due to poor water clarity. In absence of vegetation and in response to poor water clarity, sunfishes and densities of sight-feeding predators such as northern pike and largemouth bass are usually low. Lake Hattie's fish community has been chronically threatened by potential of winterkill. An aeration system is operated by a sportsmen's group (Save-A-Lake Association) to prevent winterkill.

An unusual and severe openwater fish kill occurred in October 2009. It appeared that walleye were most impacted, but other fishes such as common carp and black bullheads were observed. Fish community attributes described from the 2011 survey reflect this fish kill and other anomalies that would typically result from increased water clarity and improved habitat conditions. Based on past survey documentation, such changes are likely to be temporary or short-lived.

Because of limiting habitat conditions for sight-feeding predators, vegetation-dependent species such as bluegill, and fishes vulnerable to low dissolved concentrations during ice cover, management emphasis has been directed at walleye. Walleye fry have been stocked annually from 2005 through 2011. Contributions of fry stocking to population abundance have been unpredictable and inconsistent, but generally successful. An atypically low catch rate of only 1.3 walleye/gillnet during the 2011 survey reflected losses to the October 2009 fish kill. Average weight of walleyes captured was 3.2 pounds. Fortunately, walleye grow fast in Lake Hattie and approach 15.0-inches in 3 years. It is anticipated that the walleye fishery will rebound quickly.

Black crappie were rare or absent in Lake Hattie prior to 2001. Adult crappie were stocked in late spring of 2002 to establish a population. It has taken time, but a reproducing population has developed. Survival and recruitment of young crappie to the population may have been enhanced but less predation from and competition with walleye. Trapnet catches during the 2011 survey were dominated by one-year -old crappies averaging 4.5 inches in length. In absence of future fish kill events, these crappies will grow to 10.0 inches in length by the 2013 fishing opener. The largest crappie caught during the survey measured 13.8 inches.

Northern pike experienced very good spawning success in 2008. Young pike showed up in gillnets this past year as three-year-olds averaging about 18-inches in length. A promising yellow perch fishery was lost to the fish kill. Most of the many 6.0 to 10.0 inch perch observed during the 2006 survey were absent from the 2011 survey. No bluegill or largemouth bass were captured.

Are there any state parks near Lake Hattie?