Knife Lake

How big is Knife Lake?

How deep is Knife Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Knife Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Knife Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Knife Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Knife Lake (Central)

Knife Lake (East

Knife Lake (East Central)

Knife Lake (North Central)

Knife Lake (West)

Knife Lake (West Central)

Are there places to eat and drink near Knife Lake?

Knife Lake is a large sprawling lake located 30 miles northeast of Ely along the Canadian border. The whole lake is 4,919 acres with 3,711 acres in Minnesota and 1,208 in Ontario. All of the water in Minnesota is within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and is non-motorized. People intending to camp on the US side of Knife must obtain a permit from a US Forest Service District office. The Ontario portion is within the Quetico Provincial Park and is also non-motorized. Permits are also required to access and camp on the Canadian side. There are 11 portage accesses from Knife to other nearby lakes but the most common access to Knife by canoers is through the lake/river system that exits Knife Lake on its west end. Knife has a maximum depth of 179 feet and clear water. Knife is a prototypical northern Minnesota/Canadian shield water body with shorelines covered in tall pines, areas of tall granite ledge rock, and exceptionally clear water. There are several minor inlets with the two major inlets coming from Little Knife and Eddy Lakes. The only outlet exits from the west side of the lake. An old logging dam at the outlet of Knife Lake blew out about 1980, lowering the level of the lake several feet. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are ledge rock, boulder, and gravel with some areas of sand and muck in the bays. Knife Lake is a two-story fishery with deep, cold, well oxygenated water capable of supporting a cold water fishery (lake trout, lake whitefish, cisco, and burbot) and a shallow, warmer, but still well oxygenated area capable of supporting a cool and warm water fishery (walleye, northern pike, and bass). The only recorded stocking event in Knife Lake was of smallmouth bass stocked in 1941. The 2017 survey consisted of shallow water and deep water gillnet sets. Fish species sampled included lake trout, lake whitefish, cisco, burbot, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, bluegill, rock bass, and white sucker. The deep water gillnet catch for lake trout was 2.1 fish/net which was the highest on record for Knife Lake and better than average compared to other lake trout populations in the Tower area. Lengths ranged from 12 to 32.5 inches with an average just over 22 inches. These sizes were comparable to past lake trout catches from Knife. The average fish weighed just over 4 pounds which was good compared to other lake trout lakes. Not all the lake trout caught were aged but of those that were, ages ranged from 2 to 28 years. All fish over 17 inches or older than 7 years were mature. Growth rates were faster than normal for young fish but as they aged, rates slowed more than the average lake trout population. On average a 26 inch lake trout from Knife Lake was 20 years old. Shallow water gill nets sampled 110 walleye for a catch rate of 9.2 fish/net. This catch rate was the highest catch rate on record for the lake and very good compared to other walleye lakes in the Tower area. Lengths ranged from 8 to 23.5 inches with an average of just over 16 inches which was better than normal for the lake. Growth rates were good and fish up to 11 years old were represented in the catch. Year classes from 2012 and 2013 were strong. The northern pike shallow water gillnet catch was 1.7 fish/net which was average for the lake. Lengths ranged from 17 to 38 inches with an average of 25.5 inches which was just below average for the lake. The average weight was just under four pounds per fish. Twelve smallmouth bass were sampled in shallow gill nets for a catch rate of 1.0 fish/net which was average for the lake. The deep gill nets caught an additional 10 fish for a rate of 0.6 fish/net. Combining the catches from deep and shallow nets, lengths ranged from 5 to 21 inches with an average of 16 inches. Only nine fish were aged but growth appeared good. Fish sampled were up to 18 years old. It appears Knife Lake is supporting a healthy population of long lived and large, smallmouth bass. Bluegill were sampled for the first time in Knife Lake. Ten fish were captured in one net on the far east end and one bluegill was captured from a net on the far west end for a catch rate of 0.9 fish/net. This catch rate was slightly below average compared to other bluegill lakes. Lengths ranged from 4 to 8 inches with an average of 6 inches. The lake whitefish deep gillnet catch rate was 5.8 fish/net which was average compared to past surveys on Knife and better than most other whitefish lakes in the area. Lengths ranged from 7 to 21 inches with an average of 14 inches which was smaller than past surveys on Knife. There were eight additional whitefish caught in shallow gill nets which included the largest individual in the survey at 22 inches. The average fish weighed just over a pound. Fish ranged in age from 2 to 37 years. Fish generally reached their maximum size around 15 years old. Cisco make up a substantial food source for the predator fish in Knife Lake. Sixty-three cisco were caught in deep water gill nets for a catch rate of 3.9 fish/net which was below average compared to past surveys on the lake as well as other lakes in the area. The average size was around 7 inches, which has remained fairly consistent throughout the years. The deep water gillnet catch for burbot was 0.7 fish/net which was average for Knife Lake and slightly better than normal compared to other lakes in the area. Lengths ranged from 11.5 to 18 inches with an average of 14 inches. Sizes were smaller than normal compared to past surveys. Other species sampled in shallow gill nets were white sucker and rock bass. Catches for these fish were similar to past surveys. Rusty crayfish, an invasive species, were first sampled in Knife in 1993. Two were caught in a shallow net near the middle of the lake on the south shore. In 2006, 20 rusty crayfish were caught in the same net. During the 2017 survey, four rusty crayfish were sampled also in the same net. They were not sampled in any of the rest of the nets throughout the lake. Rusty's can out compete native crayfish and devastate aquatic vegetation beds. At some point, they were likely brought in by anglers using them for bait.

What is the average air temp for Knife Lake?