Ester Lake

How big is Ester Lake?

How deep is Ester Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Ester Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Ester Lake?

Ester is a remote lake located in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness approximately 40 miles northeast of Ely. The lake is in a semi-primitive non-motorized federal wilderness management area. The most direct access requires crossing Saganaga Lake from the end of the Gunflint Trail. At the west end of Saganaga, there are two portages (5 and 80 rods) required to reach Ottertrack Lake. From Ottertrack, there is an 80-rod portage into the north end of Ester. There are five USFS-maintained campsites on Ester Lake. Ester is a 374 acre lake with very clear water. The lake has a rugged and steep shoreline and the basin drops off just as steeply as the shore. Bottom substrates are primarily boulder and bedrock. Surveys have indicated that the lake has an abundance of coldwater habitat for fish species like lake trout, whitefish, cisco and burbot. A DNR Fisheries survey was conducted on Ester Lake from September 17-20, 2018. Fish sampling was non-motorized and included gill nets set in both deep and shallow water to sample the entire fish community. Minnow traps were also set in deep water to catch sculpin however none were caught. The 2018 survey was the third DNR survey of Ester Lake. Previous surveys were completed in 1973 and 1980. The lake trout deepwater gill-net catch rate of 3.2/net in 2018 was less than the catch rate from the 1980 survey (4.3/net) but exceeded the Tower Area average of 2.0/net for all lake trout lakes. Sixteen lake trout ranged in length from 8.4 to 27.4 inches with an average of 22.7 inches. The length distribution was comparable to that recorded in 1973 and 1980. Catch aging indicated that the lake trout of Ester Lake had very slow growth rates. Ages ranged from 5 to 22 years and averaged 14 years. Lake whitefish were the most abundant species in the deepwater gill-net catch in 2018 with a catch rate of 14.4/net. The whitefish catch rate was very similar to the earlier estimates of 1973 and1980. The whitefish catch ranged in length from 9.7 to 20.3 inches with an average of 17.9 inches. The whitefish caught during the survey were quite old; ages ranged from 3-38 years with an average of 22.7 years. All but one of the whitefish was over 16 years of age. The cisco gill-net catch rate in 2018 was 5.2/net. Cisco were not previously reported from Ester Lake. Although a recent introduction is possible, it is more likely that cisco have been present in Ester during previous surveys but were mistaken for small whitefish. Lengths of cisco averaged 8.4 inches. Smallmouth bass were caught in 2018 for the first time in Ester Lake. Two 14-17 inch bass were caught during netting in 2018. Smalllmouth bass have become established in many lakes in the BWCAW. There is evidence that suggests they compete with native fish species like lake trout and walleye. Other species caught during the 2018 survey included burbot, northern pike, white sucker and yellow perch.

What is the average air temp for Ester Lake?