Hanson Lake

How big is Hanson Lake?

How deep is Hanson Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Hanson Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Hanson Lake?

Hanson Lake is a remote lake located in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) 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 Lake. Ester Lake is connected at its south end to Hanson Lake by a shallow outlet channel. There are four USFS-maintained campsites on Hanson Lake. Hanson is a 289 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 Hanson Lake from September 18-20, 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 Hanson Lake. Previous surveys were completed in 1973 and 1980. The lake trout deepwater gill-net catch rate of 2.0/net in 2018 was similar to the catch rate from the 1980 survey (2.5/net) and equaled the Tower Area average for all lake trout lakes. Ten lake trout ranged in length from 14.4 to 22.8 inches with an average of 19.3 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 8 to 21 years and averaged 13.4 years. Lake whitefish were the most abundant species in the deepwater gill-net catch in 2018 with a catch rate of 6.6/net. The whitefish catch rate was similar to the earlier estimate of 1973 (5.5/net) but was considerably less than the 1980 estimate of 11.6/net. The whitefish catch ranged in length from 7.8 to 21.3 inches with an average of 16.4 inches. Growth of whitefish in Hanson Lake was slow. The cisco gill-net catch rate in 2018 was 3.2/net. Cisco were not reported from Hanson Lake in 1973 and only 3 (0.4/net) were caught during the 1980 survey. Lengths of cisco averaged 7.9 inches and the largest fish was 9.7 inches long. Smallmouth bass were caught in 2018 for the first time in Hanson Lake. A total of ten bass were caught during netting in 2018. Seven bass between 15-19 inches were caught in the final 20 feet of a deep gill net. 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 and white sucker. Northern pike and yellow perch have been caught during previous surveys and in connected Ester Lake.

What is the average air temp for Hanson Lake?