Black Island Lake

How big is Black Island Lake?

How deep is Black Island Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Black Island Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Black Island Lake?

Black Island Lake is a 107 acre bass-panfish lake located nine miles southeast of Marcell, MN in the Big Fork River watershed and the Chippewa National Forest. The lake's water is fairly clear (11 foot Secchi transparency) with low alkalinity and fertility. Most of the shoreline is owned by the US Forest Service and is in a natural state. The abundant aquatic vegetation provides good habitat for bass and panfish. A standard survey was conducted in mid-summer 2017 to collect updated information on the fishery.

The Northern Pike gill-net catch was below the typical range for lakes with similar habitat. Catches were higher in previous surveys. Lower pike catches are often desirable because high pike numbers are associated with slower growth and poor quality size structure. Size structure of the 2017 sample was moderate, with fish ranging from 19.1 to 27.5 inches. Northern Pike averaged 25.0 inches and 3.4 pounds. Too few pike were sampled to provide meaningful age and growth statistics.

Catch rates for Black Crappie are more variable than for other species. Crappie often suspend in the water column and are not sampled well by mid-summer netting. The Black Crappie gill-net catch was within the lake class typical range and average for Black Island Lake, while the trap-net catch was below the typical range for similar lakes. Of the few crappie sampled, most were less than eight inches.

Bluegill were sampled in numbers similar to previous surveys and within the typical range for this lake class. Lakes like Black Island generally do not produce many large Bluegill. The 2017 sample had a modest size structure; fish ranged from 4.0 to 8.2 inches with a mean length of 6.7 inches. Ages 3 through 8 were represented in the sample, with the majority of fish being age 5 and older. The average length of 5.9 inches at age 6 was above the lake class average (5.2).

The Largemouth Bass trap-net catch was well above the historical average and the typical range for similar lakes. Largemouth from the trap nets ranged from 5.2 to 15.9 inches with a mean length of 10.3 inches. No age and growth information was collected but the length-frequency distribution suggested several year-classes were present. Black Island Lake provides angling opportunities for high numbers of small to medium-sized bass.

The Smallmouth Bass gill-net catch was typical for Black Island Lake and lakes with similar habitat. Sampled fish ranged from 14.4 to 17.8 inches.

The Yellow Perch catch rate was within the lake class normal range and near the historical average for Black Island. Perch ranged from 5.9 to 7.3 inches. Yellow Perch are likely more important as a prey species for Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike than as a target for anglers.

Small lakes with low fertility are vulnerable to overharvest by anglers. Large fish are usually rare and can take a long time to replace once they are harvested. Anglers can help improve the quality of fish populations by practicing selective harvest of smaller fish while releasing medium to large fish. Releasing these fish can help maintain a more balanced fish community and provide anglers with the opportunity to catch more large fish in the future.

What is the average air temp for Black Island Lake?

Are there any state parks near Black Island Lake?