Falk Lake

How big is Falk Lake?

How deep is Falk Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Falk Lake?

What are the closest cities to Falk Lake?

Are there boat launches on Falk Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Falk Lake?

Falk Lake is a 73-acre lake located six miles east of the town of Clearbrook in northern Clearwater County. There is a county-owned public water access with parking for several trucks/trailers located on the north shore of the lake off Township Road 82. Falk Lake has a maximum depth of 33 feet. Much of the shoreline of the lake drops off sharply to deep water, which can limit the effectiveness of survey nets in capturing gamefish species. Falk Lake is managed for Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch and Largemouth Bass.

The Walleye gill net catch rate of 1 fish per net was within the range typically found in similar lakes (0.5 fish to 3.3 fish per net). Falk Lake is stocked with Walleye fingerlings every third year (2012, 2015, 2018 etc.); however, there were no Walleye captured that could be aged to the most recent stockings, suggesting that they may not have been successful in producing year classes. Walleye captured ranged in length from 18.8 to 22.6 inches. Walleye anglers may want to focus their efforts on lakes with more abundant Walleye populations in the area than Falk Lake.

Northern Pike were abundant in the 2019 survey. The gill net catch rate of nearly 12 fish per net was above the range typically found in similar lakes. Northern Pike captured ranged in length from 15.0 inches to 35.4 inches with an average size of 20.7 inches in length and 1.89 lbs/fish.

Yellow Perch are listed as a managed species due to their importance as forage for predators in the lake such as Walleye. The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate of 3.5 fish per net was below the median catch rate typically found in similar lakes (6.5 fish per net). Few perch exceeding 7 inches in length were captured in this survey.

Largemouth Bass are not captured effectively in standard survey nets. Time constraints and weather conditions precluded night electrofishing for Largemouth Bass in the 2019 survey. The most recent survey of Falk Lake conducted in 2009 showed a typical Largemouth Bass population for a small lake in the Bemidji area, with moderate abundance and fish exceeding 18 inches in length captured during night electrofishing.

Bluegill and Black Crappie were not native to Falk Lake and are relatively new species to the fish community. Bluegill were first documented in 2003 and a single Black Crappie was captured for the first time in this survey. While the single Black Crappie tells us little about the population, Bluegill were captured in decent numbers in this survey and their population seems to be expanding. The Bluegill trap net catch rate of 6. 8 fish per net was within the range typically found in similar lakes (5. 9 fish to 40. 5 fish per net). Bluegill up to nearly 9 inches in length were captured in this survey.

Other species of fish captured in the 2019 survey were Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish and White Sucker.

Are there any state parks near Falk Lake?