Moose Lake

How big is Moose Lake?

How deep is Moose Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Moose Lake?

What are the closest cities to Moose Lake?

Are there boat launches on Moose Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Moose Lake?

Moose Lake is a small lake located six miles southeast of Northome, MN in northern Itasca County. The lake lies within the Chippewa National Forest and the Big Fork River watershed. Much of the shoreline is undeveloped forest land managed by the US Forest Service. There is a concrete ramp public access at the south end of the lake with limited parking.

The lake management plan (LMP) was last revised in 2009. Walleye were considered primary management species because of alternate-year fry stocking. Northern Pike and Black Crappie were considered secondary management species. A standard survey was conducted in 2018 to assess the status of the fish community and the effectiveness of Walleye fry stocking.

The Walleye gill-net catch was typical for Moose Lake and slightly above average for lakes with comparable habitat. Walleye size structure was good; fish from gill nets averaged 15.8 inches and 18% of the sample exceeded 20 inches. Most fish corresponded to stocked year classes but a moderate natural year class (2016) was represented by numbers of age 2 fish. Growth was considered good with Walleye averaging 15.2 inches at age 4. Moose Lake appears to provide good fishing opportunities for Walleye.

The Northern Pike gill-net catch was about average for Moose Lake and slightly above average for lakes with similar habitat. Size structure was moderate; pike ranged from 17.9 to 28.6 inches with an average length of 22.9 inches. Ages 2-7 were represented with age 3 fish the most frequently sampled. Pike averaged 21.9 inches at age 4. The north central pike zone regulation implemented in 2018 requires anglers to release pike from 22-26 inches, while allowing for more harvest of small pike. It is hoped that this regulation will improve size quality on Moose Lake.

Moose Lake has generally produced a modest crappie fishery. The 2018 trap-net catch was higher than previous surveys but within the typical range for lakes with comparable habitat. Crappie from trap nets ranged from 4.8 to 10.2 inches with an average length of 8.2 inches. Ages 1-4 were represented with ages 2 and 3 making up a majority of the sample. Growth was good with crappie averaging 8.0 inches at age 3.

Gill-net catches for Yellow Perch have typically been quite high compared to similar lakes. The 2018 catch was the highest ever recorded. Not surprisingly, size structure was fairly poor; perch from gill nets averaged 6.8 inches and very few fish exceeded 8 inches. Yellow Perch are more important as a prey source for predators than as a target for anglers.

Other species sampled in test nets included Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, Brown Bullhead and White Sucker.

What is the average air temp for Moose Lake?