Little Pelican Lake

How big is Little Pelican Lake?

How deep is Little Pelican Lake?

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

What are the closest cities to Little Pelican Lake?

Are there boat launches on Little Pelican Lake?

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

Little Pelican Lake is a 283 acre lake located a mile south of Breezy Point in Crow Wing County. There is a public access located in the southeast portion of the lake. The maximum depth is 34 feet with about 73% of the lake being 15 feet deep or less. A variety of sand, gravel, and muck substrates occur in shallow water which helps support a diverse aquatic plant community. Maintaining the lakes aquatic plant composition and abundance has been identified in the management plan as an important long range goal. Aquatic plants help prevent erosion, stabilize bottom sediments, provide spawning habitat, and provide food and shelter for a variety of aquatic organisms.

An assessment of the fish population was conducted in 2010 and compared to previous surveys conducted in 1968, 1980, 1986, and 1998. Northern pike are the lakes primary management species and were captured at a rate of 20.7 per gillnet in 2010. This was the highest catch to date, and exceeded the long-range goal for this lake. The size of these fish averaged 17.5" and 1.56 pounds, but fell below the goal of 2.0 pounds. Only 14% of these fish were over 24". This is consistent with previous surveys, suggesting the northern pike population has been stable with large numbers of small fish for many years.

Largemouth bass, the lakes secondary management species, were sampled at a rate of 1.6 per trap net in 2010. This catch exceeds typical values for similar lakes, but is within the range of values from previous surveys of this lake. The size of bass captured in all sampling methods ranged from 8.4 to 20.5 inches. Several year classes were sampled, and growth was average.

Important panfish species in the lake include black crappie and bluegill. The crappie catch in 2010 was within the typical range for this type of lake and comparable to previous catches on this lake. Several year classes were sampled, and growth was average. The 2010 bluegill catch of 12.9 per trap net decreased from previous surveys. In spite of slow growth, 53% of these fish measured at least 7" though no fish over 8" were sampled.

Additional sampling for nearshore fish was also conducted using shoreline seining and backpack electrofishing. Several species of shiners, a few darter species, and other forage species were sampled. A total of 24 fish species were collected in all sampling methods combined during the 2010 survey.

What is the average air temp for Little Pelican Lake?

Are there any state parks near Little Pelican Lake?