French Lake

How big is French Lake?

How deep is French Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in French Lake?

What are the closest cities to French Lake?

Are there boat launches on French Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near French Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in French Lake?

French Lake is a small lake located in central Aitkin County approximately 6 miles southwest of Palisade. The lake has a surface area of 137 acres with a maximum depth of 37 feet. The water is brownish-green in color with a secchi disc reading that has ranged from 5 to 8 feet over the years. There is an unimproved township owned access located on the northeast corner of the lake. The lakeshore is a mixture of timber covered hills, open bog, and grassland, with private homes and cabins on the east side of the lake, and the French Lake Wildlife Management Area on the west. Northern Pike and Black Crappie are the primary management species and Walleye and Bluegill are secondary management species. The invasive aquatic plant Eurasian Milfoil has established itself in the lake, so lake users should be sure to clean, drain and dry equipment when leaving the lake to prevent the spread to other waterbodies.

Walleye have inhabited the lake and have been caught in all but two surveys of the lake going back to 1970. Walleye present in French Lake were presumably migrants from Gun Lake during spawning runs or high water events, or possibly via the ditch connection to the Rice River. Spawning habitat for Walleye is limited and recruitment from natural reproduction is poor in French Lake. Since Walleye are known to have survived in the lake, a Walleye fry stocking strategy was implemented in 2013 to augment the existing population. No Walleye had been stocked in the lake prior to 2013. From 2013 to 2018 30,500 Walleye fry were stocked annually. Walleye abundance has ranged from 0 - 2.8/gill net with an average catch rate of 1.0/gill net in the eight surveys conducted spanning a time period from (1981-2020). This is the second survey since fry stocking started. No Walleye were caught in 2016 and only one Walleye was caught in 2020, for a catchrate of 0.17/gillnet. The fish was a 5 year old, 17.5 inches and 1.8 lbs. After two surveys it appears fry survival is poor in this lake and may need to be dropped or amended to fingerlings instead. Walleye from Gun Lake and the Rice River may move to French Lake during favorable hydrologic conditions, however this is sporadic at best. Spawning habitat for Walleye is limited and recruitment from natural reproduction is poor in French Lake.

Northern Pike numbers are generally stable and on the low end for this lake type, this survey was no different at a catch of 2.7/gill net. The size structure was reasonable but not as good as 2016. The average size was 21.7 inches, and 2 fish were over 26 inches. For a small lake it has the potential to produce pike in the mid-30 inch range as seen in most surveys. The largest in 2020 was 32.7 inches long.

Black Crappie are popular with winter and summer anglers on French Lake. Black Crappie numbers showed an increase from the previous survey 1.5/net (2016) to 4.2/gill net (2020), but not yet at the abundance that was seen through the 1990's, averaging about 8/net (1989-2004). No Black Crappie over 10 inches were sampled, falling short of the lake management goal for this species. The average length for Black Crappie was 7.3 inches with a maximum length of 9 inches. Keep in mind no trap nets were used in this assessment, although at French Lake both gears typically show similar results.

Though historically not known as a bass lake, Largemouth Bass have been increasing in abundance and have been sampled in each of the last three surveys at moderate abundance.

What is the average air temp for French Lake?

Are there any state parks near French Lake?