Mink Lake

How big is Mink Lake?

How deep is Mink Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Mink Lake?

What are the closest cities to Mink Lake?

Are there boat launches on Mink Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Mink Lake?

Mink Lake is a small designated stream trout lake, managed for stream trout since the 1930s. It has been reclaimed several times to remove undesirable fish species, with the last reclamation done in the fall of 2014 to remove yellow perch and rock bass. The lake is currently stocked annually with yearling rainbow trout in the spring, and fingerling splake in the fall. Management goals from the current (2019) lake management plan (LMP) are to maintain a rainbow trout population with a minimum trap net catch of 0.8 fish/set, with two year classes present, and maintain a splake population with a minimum trap net catch of 1.7 fish/set, with at least two catchable-sized (over 10 inch) year classes present.

This was the first standard survey completed on Mink Lake since the 2014 reclamation. It was one of three standard surveys scheduled in the 2019 LMP to determine whether goals in the lake for rainbow trout and splake could be met under the current stocking regime, and to monitor the lake for the reintroduction of any undesireable fish species.

No undesirable fish species were taken in this survey, and it appeared that goals for the fishery probably could be met under the current stocking regime. Splake appeared to have been abundant in the fall of 2020, and fish as large as 20.7 inches were found. Fewer rainbow trout were captured, but rainbow trout catches in all sampling gears tend to be low. The splake trap net catch was well above the goal set in the 2019 LMP, while the rainbow trout catch fell just below the goal for that species. The splake catch was high compared to other stream trout lakes in this area, well above the normal range of 0.60 - 3.24 fish/set for stream trout lakes in this area. Although the rainbow trout catch did not meet the plan goal, it still fell within the normal range (0.40 - 2.24 fish/set) for catches in lakes in this area. Catches for both species included two or more year classes of catchable-sized fish, with splake as old as age-5 taken. Most of the rainbow trout taken were survivors from the spring 2020 yearling stocking, but one two-year-old fish stocked in 2019 was also collected. Splake growth had been fairly fast. Fish reached a mean length of 11.8 inches at the end of their second year, compared to an area average of 9.5 inches.

A creel survey done on Mink Lake in January-March 2020 showed the lake supported fairly high winter fishing pressure. Winter anglers enjoyed good success, catching relatively high numbers of splake, as well as a few rainbow trout.

Are there any state parks near Mink Lake?