Hand Lake

How big is Hand Lake?

How deep is Hand Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Hand Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Hand Lake?

Hand is a small shallow lake currently managed for Walleye and Northern Pike. Access is fairly difficult, and angling use is probably low to moderate. Walleye were introduced in 1985, and the population has been self-sustained since 1998, when the last stocking was done. This was the first of two surveys scheduled in the 2018 lake management plan (LMP) to determine whether the long range goal for Walleye in this lake (a gill net catch of 3.0 fish/net, with some fish over 20 inches) could be met with no further stocking. We also wanted to determine whether the Northern Pike goal in that plan (a minimum gill net catch of 3.0 fish/net, with some fish over 25 inches) could be met now that Walleye had become well established.

In 2021 Hand Lake would have provided anglers fair numbers of Walleye in above-average sizes. Northern Pike numbers were low, but some larger fish (over 25 inches) were present. No other fish species would have been available; Yellow Perch were present, but were small.

Walleye numbers in 2021 appeared to have been about average for a lake of this type, and they met the goal in the 2018 plan. Walleye were present in a wide range of sizes, with most of the fish seen in this survey over 18 inches in length. Nine year classes, all naturally produced, contributed to the catch, which included fish up to 18 years of age. Growth of young fish appeared to have been somehat below average; fish reached a mean length of 14.5 inches at the end of their fourth year, compared to an area average of 15.4 inches.

Northern Pike gill net catches in Hand Lake appeared to have dropped when Walleye were introduced, and so far we have no evidence of any recovery in their numbers. The Northern Pike catch in 2021 fell short of the 2018 goal, in terms of number of fish taken; however, the size goal in that plan was met, with two fish over 25 inches in length included in the gill net catch.

Yellow Perch were apparently never abundant in Hand Lake. probably due to the large numbers of Northern Pike once present, and their numbers seemed to drop further after Walleye were introduced. No Yellow Perch were taken in the last (2016) survey, as had been the case in three of the previous four surveys. However, a few Yellow Perch were taken in gill nets and mini-fyke trap nets in 2021. The gill net catch remained below the normal range for a lake of this type; nevertheless, it was the third highest seen in Hand Lake, historically. None of the Yellow Perch sampled in any gear in 2021 were large enough to have been of interest to anglers. Low Yellow Perch abundance has likely contributed to the slow Northern Pike growth rates seen in some surveys of this lake.

White Sucker gill net catches in Hand Lake appeared to have dropped sharply (from over 15 fish/set to under 2 fish/set) after Walleye were introduced. They remained low in 2021.

Small-mesh mini-fyke trap net sets were used in 2021 to better assess the nearshore fish community. Blacknose Shiner were added to the list of fish species known to be present in Hand Lake, and some production of young-of-year Yellow Perch was confirmed.

Are there any state parks near Hand Lake?