Elbow Lake

How big is Elbow Lake?

How deep is Elbow Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Elbow Lake?

What are the closest cities to Elbow Lake?

Are there boat launches on Elbow Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Elbow Lake?

Elbow Lake is a medium-sized, but very shallow lake lying in the Devil Track River (Elbow Creek) watershed. The lake has been managed in recent years primarily for walleye and bluegill, although it has also supported significant northern pike and yellow perch fisheries. This was the second of two standard surveys scheduled in the 2012 lake management plan (LMP) to determine whether walleye goals could be met in the absence of stocking, and whether the lake could support a self-sustained bluegill population meeting goals for that species. Management objectives for walleye in this lake are to maintain a minimum walleye gill net catch of 5.5 fish/set, with some fish over 20 inches present. Bluegill objectives are a minimum trap net catch of 1.5 fish/set, with some fish over eight inches present. Although northern pike were not listed as a primary management species in 2012, they are an important species in this lake and that plan established objectives for the species: a minimum gill net catch of 2.0 fish/set, with some fish over 30 inches present.

Walleye were abundant in 2021, and were present in a wide range of sizes. The 2021 walleye gill net catch was the highest ever seen in this lake. It exceeded the current catch objective, and included several fish over 20 inches in length. Objectives for walleye in this lake had been met in the absence of any recent stocking. Sixteen year classes, almost all naturally produced, contributed to the 2021 catch, with fairly strong natural year classes produced in 2020, 2019, and 2018 driving the unusually high catch seen in 2021. The presence of fairly high numbers of fish over eight years of age suggested that despite the popularity of this lake with anglers, walleye harvest had not been excessive. Despite the presence of an excellent yellow perch forage base, growth rates for young walleye had been somewhat slower than average. Fish reached a mean length of 9.1 inches at the end of their third year, compared to an average of 11.0 inches for lakes in this area. Competition with yellow perch for invertebrate forage may have limited growth of young walleye.

Tagging of walleye taken in a spring electrofishing assessment done by the Fond du Lac band in 2021 (green tags) allowed us to estimate the size of the walleye population in Elbow Lake. Based on recaptures of fish marked that spring, we estimated the lake held 975 walleye 10 inches or larger. While that number seemed low compared to the high gill net catch in 2021, less than half of the walleye taken in gill nets were large enough to have been among those marked in the spring of 2021. A similar estimate made in 2015 showed the lake holding 2,129 walleye 10 inches or larger that year.

Bluegill were also abundant (for this area) in 2021, and the lake was producing many fish over eight inches in length. Management objectives for catch and size of bluegill in Elbow Lake were easily met, and it became clear there would be no need for additional stocking of that species. The trap net catch was the highest seen to date in this lake, and included several fish larger than eight inches. All the bluegill taken in standard gill and trap nets in 2021 had been produced naturally, and 0.25-in-mesh trap nets yielded an exceptionally high catch of young-of-year bluegill. Bluegill growth had been fairly fast; fish reached a mean length of 9.0 inches at the end of their sixth year, compared to an area average of 8.0 inches. Several anglers reported catching bluegill in 2021, including some fish over 10 inches. Interest in the fishery appeared to have been growing.

Northern pike numbers and their average size appeared to have been down in 2021, and catch and size objectives from the 2012 LMP were not met. The northern pike gill net catch was the second lowest seen in this lake historically, and no fish over 30 inches in length were taken in any sampling gear. No ages were determined for northern pike sampled in 2021, but from their lengths it appeared that only three or four year classes, all of modest size, had contributed to the catch.

As has typically been the case in this lake, yellow perch were very abundant in 2021. High numbers of yellow perch provided excellent forage for walleye and northern pike, but could have made it more difficult for anglers to catch fish of either species. Many anglers, particularly families with children, target perch in this lake, and many fish larger than eight inches were available to support that fishery.

White sucker gill net catches had been declining in this lake since the early 1980s, and reached an all-time low in 2015. A higher catch was seen in 2021, suggesting some recovery in the population.

Are there any state parks near Elbow Lake?