Mayhew Lake

How big is Mayhew Lake?

How deep is Mayhew Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Mayhew Lake?

Are there boat launches on Mayhew Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Mayhew Lake?

Mayhew Lake is a 220-acre lake located 35 miles north of Grand Marais. It lies in the headwaters of the Rainy River, draining to that system via Loon, Crab, and Gunflint Lakes into the Granite River. There is a public carry-in access on the southeast corner of the lake. Mayhew Lake has been managed primarily for lake trout since the 1940s. It was reclaimed for trout management in 1969. Due to adequate natural reproduction and low survival of stocked fish lake trout stocking was discontinued after 2018. To provide for a more attractive summer fishery, brown trout stocking was replaced with rainbow trout stocking in 2019. The 2023 standard survey was the second of three conducted to evaluate the lake trout and rainbow trout populations in Mayhew Lake.

Lake trout abundance in gill nets (deep and shallow sets combined) was the lowest since 1980 but did meet the current management goal. Catch rates are similar to other Minnesota class 3 lakes. Lake trout ranged from 8 to 26 inches with an average length of 16 inches. Lake trout were found to be from 6 different year classes and were all naturally reproduced. Growth of lake trout appear to be good, reaching larger sizes slightly faster than area averages.

Rainbow trout catch rates were lower than the previous two surveys and did not meet the management goal. Only two fish were caught (12 and 13 inches) and were from the stocking event earlier in the season. Low sample sizes of rainbow trout caught in summer gill netting surveys since stocking began suggests that other methods may be needed to properly evaluate stocking success.

Northern pike numbers were very low in 2023 and were similar to the previous survey. Northern pike are an undesirable species in this lake so low catch rates are good for the management of rainbow trout.

Bluegill and green sunfish abundance was low in the 2023 survey and had been declining since the late 1990s. Fish captured were smaller than 4 inches and currently do not offer any angling opportunities.

Yellow perch and white sucker are considered undesirable species in lakes managed for stream trout and were found in relatively low abundances. Both species compete with trout for invertebrate and other small forage; however, in several area lakes stocked rainbow trout yearlings have performed fairly well despite their presence. Perch may provide a buffer against predation from northern pike on trout in Mayhew Lake.