Ann is a 653 acre lake in Kanabec County managed primarily for Walleye and Northern Pike. The water level is maintained by a Division of Fish and Wildlife sheet piling dam on the north end of the lake. Lakeshore development is relatively light due largely to the wildlife management area on the southeast and northeast shores. Shallow water substrates are dominated by sand but water quality can be an issue. Like most shallow fertile lakes, Ann is subject to fairly heavy algae blooms in summer which limit water clarity. An additional concern is curly-leaf pondweed densities in late spring and early summer. There is currently only one public boat access on the lake with limited parking. Although natural Walleye reproduction likely occurs, 300 pounds of Walleye fingerlings are stocked every fall.
Ann Lake receives high fishing pressure at times, especially when the panfish bite is hot. Although the abundance of Black Crappie and Bluegill is normal compared to similar lakes, both have had higher catch rates in previous assessments. Nonetheless, anglers can expect quality fishing for both species. During the May netting crappies averaged 9.6 inches with fish over 12 inches present. Bluegills ranged up to 10.6 inches with a third of the catch exceeding 8 inches.
The Northern Pike catch rate increased compared to the 2010 assessment but remains below the normal range for the lake type. Northerns ranged from 17.5 to 31.2 inches. The bulk of the pike captured were young fish less than 23 inches in length. Walleye abundance continues to trend downward despite the switch to annual fingerling stocking in 2010. However, the catch rate is still typical for the lake class. Lengths ranged from 9.3 to 23.3 inches with a 1.1 pound average. Trends in both Walleye and Northern Pike abundance have closely followed that of the Yellow Perch population. One fourth of the perch catch exceeded 8 inches in length, an acceptable size for some anglers.
