Greenstone Lake

How big is Greenstone Lake?

How deep is Greenstone Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Greenstone Lake?

What are the closest cities to Greenstone Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Greenstone Lake?

Greenstone Lake is located 10 miles east of Ely. There are four accesses that are all remote carry-ins. Accesses consist of a 3/4 mile portage from Madden Lake, a 1/2 mile portage from the North Kawishiwi River, a winter snowmobile route to Pickerel Lake, and the trail system off the Madden Creek Rd. This 332 acre lake contains four inlets and one outlet which flows to Pickerel Lake. Greenstone Lake has a maximum depth of 72 feet and brown bog-stained water.

On August 12, 2019 Greenstone was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 71 F and a bottom temperature of 44 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 63 feet where the temperature was 45 F. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Greenstone Lake are mostly boulder and rubble. Aquatic plants are sparse and only grow in some of the shallow bays. There are a handful of water access only cabins on the lake, overall it is quite undeveloped.

The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 9.3 fish/net which was slightly below average for the lake. Yield was 13.7 lbs/net which was also just below average. Fish species sampled were walleye, northern pike, bluegill, white sucker, rock bass, yellow perch, and largemouth bass. Trap nets were used for the first time on Greenstone and caught fish at an overall rate of 11.4 fish/net, yield was 8.3 lbs/net. Fish species sampled in trap nets were mostly bluegill, northern pike, and walleye. Smaller numbers of rock bass, largemouth bass, and yellow perch were also sampled.

Walleye fry are currently being stocked in Greenstone generally every third year. The 2019 walleye gillnet catch rate was 3.6 fish/net, which was above average compared to other similar lakes and right at average compared to past surveys on the lake. Lengths ranged from 9 to 24 inches with an average of 17 inches which was good compared to past surveys. Growth rates were slightly better than average compared to other lakes in the area with a walleye taking four years to reach 14 inches long. Ages ranged from 1 to 20 with no single exceptional year classes.

The northern pike gillnet catch was 1.6 fish/net which was above average compared to other similar lakes but slightly below average compared to past surveys on Greenstone. The average pike weighed 4 pounds which was good compared to other similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 20 to 29 inches with an average of nearly 24 inches.

Sixty-four bluegill were caught in trap nets for a catch rate of 7.1 fish/net which was very good compared to other similar lakes. Sizes were small though, ranging from 3.5 to nearly 6 inches with an average of just over 4 inches. Over 90% of the fish were under 5 inches long. This appears to be common for Greenstone as past surveys showed similar small sizes from bluegill caught in gill nets.

Small numbers of largemouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass, and white sucker were also sampled. Their catch rates and sizes were similar to past surveys.

What is the average air temp for Greenstone Lake?

Are there any state parks near Greenstone Lake?