Moosehead Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota
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Frequently Asked Questions About Moosehead Lake, MN
- How big is Moosehead Lake?
- How deep is Moosehead Lake?
- What kind of fish can you catch in Moosehead Lake?
- What are the closest cities to Moosehead Lake?
- Are there places to stay in the Moosehead Lake area?
- Are there topographical lake maps available Moosehead Lake?
- Are there boat launches on Moosehead Lake?
- Are there places to eat and drink near Moosehead Lake?
- What are the fishing regulations for Moosehead Lake?
- What is the average air temp for Moosehead Lake?
- Are there any state parks near Moosehead Lake?
How big is Moosehead Lake?
How deep is Moosehead Lake?
What kind of fish can you catch in Moosehead Lake?
Other fish species in the lake include Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse and White Sucker.
What are the closest cities to Moosehead Lake?
Are there places to stay in the Moosehead Lake area?
More Lodging Options
Are there topographical lake maps available Moosehead Lake?
Are there boat launches on Moosehead Lake?
Are there places to eat and drink near Moosehead Lake?
What are the fishing regulations for Moosehead Lake?
There are specific fishing regulations Moosehead 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?
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History & Status of the Fishery
Moosehead Lake is located on the east side of Moose Lake, MN. There is a city administered back-in access adjacent to the public park with a swimming beach. The lake is 279 acres and has a maximum depth of 18 feet. The 2023 survey was completed to update information about fish populations in Moosehead Lake. Special angling regulations on sunfish and crappie were implemented in 2022. These regulations are a daily limit of five sunfish, possession limit of 20 and a daily limit of five crappie, possession limit 10. This was the first survey since the special regulations were added to the lake.
Bluegill abundance of 7.0 per trap net lift was in the normal range compared to similar lakes. The average length was 5.2 inches and seven fish were over 8 inches long. All year-classes from 2015 to 2021 were represented indicating consistent recruitment and over 80% of the catch was made up of strong year-classes in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Growth of Bluegill was above average for the area.
Black Crappie trap net catch was within the normal range for similar Minnesota lakes. The gill net catch for crappie was also within the normal range. The average length of Black Crappie was 7.3 inches and 13% of the catch was over 10 inches long. Six-year classes of crappie were determined with age-2 fish making up 67% of the catch. Growth of Black Crappie was above average compared to other Duluth Area lakes.
Walleye abundance of 2.2 fish per gill net lift was in the normal range for similar type lakes in Minnesota. The average length of sampled fish was 16.8 inches with the largest Walleye being 24.7 inches. Seven ages of Walleye were found and age-3 fish comprised 50% of the total catch. Growth appeared to be slow compared to other Duluth populations.
The Northern Pike gillnet catch was within the normal range compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. The average size of pike was 22.3 inches with the largest fish measuring 31.8 inches.
A total of 2 Largemouth Bass were caught via nighttime electrofishing. Lengths were 11.7 and 15.6 inches.
Thirteen Smallmouth Bass were sampled with electrofishing and gill nets caught a single Smallmouth Bass. The average length of Smallmouth Bass was 11.6 inches with a couple fish over 17 inches seen.
The Yellow Perch gillnet catch of was within the normal range for similar Minnesota lakes. The average length of perch was small at 6.3 inches and only two perch were longer than 9 inches.
Two large Channel Catfish were caught during the survey with both fish around 29 inches long.
Other fish species sampled included Chestnut Lamprey, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, Tadpole Madtom, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.
No Lake Sturgeon were encountered during the 2023 survey. Lake Sturgeon were caught in two previous surveys (1989 and 1999). There are anecdotal reports of sturgeon spawning activity in the Moosehead River near the Highway #61 Bridge at the outlet of Moosehead Lake. Anglers have reported catching large Lake Sturgeon in the lake.
What is the average air temp for Moosehead Lake?
Are there any state parks near Moosehead Lake?
For more Minnesota State Park information see our State Park Guide.
More Nearby Lakes To Explore
There's more lake's to explore around Moosehead Lake...| DISTANCE | ACRES | MAX DEPTH | |
| Echo Lake | 1.5 mi | 108 | 47 ft |
| Coffee Lake | 1.6 mi | 71 | 53 ft |
| Unnamed Lake | 1.7 mi | 10 | |
| Sand Lake | 2.5 mi | 527 | 47 ft |
| Moose Lake | 2.6 mi | 133 | 67 ft |
| Island Lake | 2.8 mi | 527 | 42 ft |
| Unnamed Lake | 2.9 mi | 36 | 20 ft |
| Eddy Lake | 2.9 mi | 24 | 37 ft |
| Lords Lake | 3.4 mi | 30 | |
| Hanging Horn Lake | 3.6 mi | 409 | 80 ft |
