Little Iron Lake

How big is Little Iron Lake?

How deep is Little Iron Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Little Iron Lake?

Are there boat launches on Little Iron Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Little Iron Lake?

Little Iron is a 115-acre lake located 38 miles north of Grand Marais off the Gunflint Trail. Public access is through a boat landing on the northeast bay of the lake. Historically, Little Iron Lake was managed for northern pike, walleye, and bluegill. After a long history of walleye stocking efforts with little success, the lake is now managed for bluegill and northern pike. The 2023 survey was the first of two surveys scheduled to evaluate the bluegill, northern pike, and walleye populations.

Walleye abundance was again low in 2023 and had been declining since the initial survey in 1969. Walleye catch rates have been poor (less than 1 fish per net) since 2000. The only walleye captured in the survey was 21 inches and was 8 years old. It was not a stocked fish. Recent surveys suggest that natural reproduction cannot maintain the walleye population at desired levels in Little Iron Lake.

The northern pike catch was similar to previous surveys and exceeded the current management goal. Catch rates were slightly below average for similar area lakes. Walleye populations declined over time in Little Iron Lake while northern pike populations increased. Northern pike ranged from 10.3 to 26.9 inches with a mean of 19.1 inches. Northern pike fishing should continue to be relatively good for small to medium sized fish.

Little Iron Lake is one of just a handful of lakes in Cook County that support significant numbers of bluegill. The relative abundance in standard trap nets was the highest recorded at 4.56 fish/net and exceeded the current management goal. Catch rates are much higher than area averages for similar Minnesota lakes. Bluegill ranged from 3.4 to 10.6 inches with a mean of 4.76 inches. Aging estimates indicated the presence of 4 naturally reproduced year classes with average growth rates. Good numbers of smaller sized bluegill can be found in Little Iron Lake with an opportunity to find a few large fish.

Forage for game fish appeared to have been scarce in recent surveys. No yellow perch were captured in the gill net catch and only two individuals were captured in the trap nets. The white sucker and rock bass catch was also low. The large numbers of small bluegill sampled in trap nets suggested that they may have been an important forage source for the northern pike population.