Mud Lake

How big is Mud Lake?

How deep is Mud Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Mud Lake?

What are the closest cities to Mud Lake?

Are there boat launches on Mud Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Mud Lake?

Skifstrom (Mud) Lake is a small (56 acres) eutrophic lake located about six miles north of the city of Cokato. It has a maximum depth of 65 feet and poor water quality. Secchi disk transparency was five feet and dissolved oxygen was good down to 21 feet. The aquatic plant community is sparse. Only ten species of emergent/submersed plants were identified with some submersed plants growing to a maximum depth of 11 feet. Coontail was the only species that was abundant and showed up in all transects. Curled pondweed abundance was low and found growing at or near the surface on less than 1% of the lake surface area. There is a public access and fishing pier located within the county park on the east side of the lake.

Largemouth bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing on May 27, 2010. Thirty-six largemouth bass were sampled in 0.70 hrs of electrofishing for a catch rate of 52/hr, which is one and a half times the median value (36/hr) for lakes sampled during the day in the Montrose area. Largemouth bass ranged in length from 6 - 18 inches and averaged 12.3 inches and 1.1 lbs. Growth of largemouth bass was similar to the statewide average with largemouth bass reaching 12 inches by age 4. Anglers can expect good fishing for medium size largemouth bass with an occasional fish pushing 18 inches.

The gill net catch of northern pike (3.3/gill net) was similar to the 2001 catch (2.0/gill net), but within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Northern pike sampled during the survey ranged from 23 - 32 inches and averaged 27 inches and 4.5 pounds. Northern pike growth appears to be faster than the statewide average with northern pike reaching 24 inches by age 3. Northern pike are not abundant, but the average size is good.

Walleye were sampled for the first time in 2010 even though there is no history of walleye stocking ever occurring on the lake.

The gill net catch of yellow perch (18.7/net) was above the range of expected values for similar lakes, however significantly lower than the peak years of 1983 (81/net) and 2001 (77/net). Yellow perch ranged in length from 5 - 8 inches and averaged 6.5 inches. Growth of yellow perch was similar to the statewide average with yellow perch reaching six inches by age 3.

The black crappie catch (1.0/trap net) was lower than 2001 (4.8/trap net) and below the first quartile value for similar lakes. The black crappie population has been declining since the original survey in 1983. Black crappie sampled during the survey ranged from 6 - 10 inches and averaged seven inches. Growth of black crappie was similar to the statewide average with black crappie reaching eight inches by age 4. Based on catches, the crappie population does not appear to be very abundant.

The bluegill catch (25.3/trap net) was lower than 2001 (33.9/trap net), but within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Bluegills sampled during the survey ranged from 3 - 8 inches and averaged six inches. Growth of bluegill was similar to the statewide average with bluegill reaching seven inches by age 5. Sunfish angling on Skifstrom Lake runs in cycles with a couple of years of good fishing with a respectable average size followed by a few years of slow fishing with a smaller average size. Right now, anglers can expect good fishing for sunfish with many keepers in the 7 - 8 inch range.

Other species sampled during the survey included: black bullhead, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, central mudminnow, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, pumpkinseed sunfish, white sucker and yellow bullhead.

What is the average air temp for Mud Lake?