Grants Lake

How big is Grants Lake?

How deep is Grants Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Grants Lake?

What are the closest cities to Grants Lake?

Are there boat launches on Grants Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Grants Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Grants Lake?

Grants Lake is a 171-acre lake located nine miles southwest of Alexandria. This small, dimictic basin has a maximum depth of 60.0 feet and an estimated average depth of 25.0 feet. Fisheries productivity is limited by basin morphology and fertility. Only 36% of the lake area is less than 15.0 feet in depth. The lake was thermally stratified during the August survey. A thermocline was detected below 15.0 feet. Dissolved oxygen concentrations below 21.0 feet were too low to sustain fish life. Water quality is considered good with an average summer Secchi transparency measurement in excess of 10.0 feet. Despite good water transparency, Grants Lake does not support a robust aquatic plant community. Most submergent plants occur along the north end of the lake near Holmes City and along Douglas County Highway 4.

Much of the shoreline around Grants Lake is steeply sloped. Residential development is moderate, with most homes located on the west side of the lake. A public access is located on the northwest side of the lake. Fishing pressure on Grants Lake is relatively light.

Grants Lake supports a diverse gamefish community that can provide good angling opportunities and quiet, quality fishing experiences. A new addition to the fish community was noted during the 2014 survey, Smallmouth Bass. This species was not captured during preceding surveys and was not introduced by the Department of Natural Resources. A total of 55 fish were captured during the 2014 fish community assessment. Size of captures ranged from 5.5 to 16.9 inches suggesting smallmouth bass are reproducing. Due to the limited productivity and carrying capacity of this lake, addition and expansion of an additional predator species may result in undesired ecological impacts to other gamefish populations.

A fair Walleye fishery is sustained through fry stockings. Fry are stocked on a three-year frequency. Gillnet catches averaged 6.8 fish/gillnet. This catch rate exceeded expectations for Grants and similar lakes. Size of captures ranged from 9.3 to 21.7 inches in length and averaged 13.1 inches. Most of the walleye catch was comprised of yearling fish stemming from the 2013 fry stocking. At sustained growth rates, these fish should exceed 14.0 inches in length in late-summer of 2015.

Northern Pike relative abundance estimates have steadily decreased from a high of 9.0 fish/gillnet in 1999 to a low of 3.2 fish/gillnet in 2014. Most of the pike sampled were less than 20.0-inches in length, but two 30.0-inch pike were measured.

Largemouth Bass and Bluegill densities are low due to scarceness of aquatic vegetation. Only seventeen Largemouth Bass were captured by all gear types combined in 2014. The electrofishing catch rate was very low at 6.2 fish/hour. Electrofishing captures ranged from 12.9 to 16.3 inches in length. Largemouth Bass grow slow. Those 16.0 inch captures were at least nine years old. Bluegill catches averaged only 5.0 fish/trapnet. Size at capture ranged from 3.1 to 8.5 inches. Most captures proved to be young fish, age-3 or less, thus average size of bluegill caught in trapnets was 5.4 inches. Other members of the sunfish family captured during the 2014 survey included Pumpkinseed and sunfish hybrids.

Black Crappie are more tolerant of limited vegetative coverage than other resident sunfishes. Grants Lake supports a moderately abundant crappie population. Survey catches were comprised of cohorts of seven age groups. Size of captures ranged from 3.9 to 12.1 inches in length. A comparatively strong year class was produced in 2010. These fish will exceed 10.0 inches in length in 2015.

Fair fishing opportunities exist for less popular and under-exploited fishes. Yellow Bullheads are common. Gillnet catches in 2014 averaged nearly 2.0 pounds/fish. Black Bullheads numbers have increased. Most are young fish. They averaged 0.5 pounds. Other non-game fish present include Common Carp, Bowfin and White Sucker.

What is the average air temp for Grants Lake?

Are there any state parks near Grants Lake?