Meditation Lake

How big is Meditation Lake?

How deep is Meditation Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Meditation Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Meditation Lake?

Meditation Lake has been managed for stream trout since it was reclaimed for that purpose in 1973. This was the first of two surveys scheduled in the 2014 lake management plan to determine if a Brook Trout size goal established in that plan was reasonable for this lake. The goal established in 2014 was to maintain a population where at least 40% of Brook Trout larger than eight inches would also exceed 12 inches in length. That plan also established a catch goal of 9.0 Brook Trout/gill net set. Reductions in area funding since 2014 have forced changes to the stocking program in Meditation, with stocking frequency reduced from annual to alternate years beginning in 2021 under a proposed 2018 plan revision. The catch goal would be reduced to a more realistic 6.0 fish/set, while the size goal would remain unchanged. Evaluation of both goals will continue in a new series of surveys scheduled in the proposed plan.

Brook Trout were fairly abundant in 2017, but most were small. The Brook Trout gill net catch was close to the average for fall catches in Grand Marais-area lakes (6.0 fish/set), but fell short of the goal from the 2014 management plan. The size of fish taken in 2017 also failed to meet the goal in the 2014 plan, although it was similar to values seen in several past surveys of this lake. Three stocked year classes contributed to the catch, which included one four-year-old fish, but no fish from the stocked 2014 year class. Most of the fish taken were from stockings done in 2015 and 2016.

As has been the case in most past surveys of this lake, no undesirable fish species were found in 2017. The lake is known to support high numbers of minnows of various types, which provide high-quality forage and promote good growth for Brook Trout.