South Farm Lake

How big is South Farm Lake?

How deep is South Farm Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in South Farm Lake?

What are the closest cities to South Farm Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near South Farm Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for South Farm Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations South Farm Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

South Farm Lake is five miles southeast of Winton, covers 564 acres, and is one of three connected lakes that with Farm and Garden comprise the Garden Reservoir. This system is also connected to White Iron Lake via the South Kawishiwi River. The primary access is via navigable channel from Farm Lake. A hydroelectric dam at the outlet of Garden Lake affects water levels seasonally on South Farm Lake and the other connected lakes. South Farm Lake is located entirely within the BWCAW where visitor use permits are required and motor use on the lake is limited to 25-hp or less.

The 2020 lake management plan for the Garden Reservoir lakes listed walleye and northern pike as the primary management species and the plan also listed bluegill, smallmouth bass, and black crappie as capable of providing quality fishing. A standard survey was conducted in mid-summer 2023 to assess the populations of these species and to monitor lake quality and habitat. The survey crew sampled fish with gill nets and trap nets, and they measured water quality. Garden Lake was thermally stratified, with a surface temperature of 67 F and a temperature of 46 F at 27 feet. Adequate oxygen levels for gamefish were present to a depth of about 15 feet. South Farm has brown, bog-stained water with visibility around 6 feet. Shoreline substrates are predominantly rocky, although some of the bays have muck bottoms and fair amounts of aquatic vegetation.

Walleye harvest by anglers on the Garden Reservoir chain is restricted with a special regulation that requires releasing all fish from 17 to 26 inches, with only one fish over 26 inches allowed in a 6-fish limit. This regulation has been in place since 2006 with the goal of maintaining overall catch rates while increasing the number of fish over 17 inches and applies to all the connected lakes mentioned above. In South Farm, the gill-net catch for walleye was higher than the historic median for the lake. Walleye were 14.2 inches long on average and 40% of the fish were over 14.0 inches. Fourteen additional walleye were also caught in trap nets with a similar average size of 13.4 inches. Walleye ages ranged from 2 to 12 and indicated natural reproduction is occurring in the system.

Northern pike (pike) harvest by anglers on the Garden Reservoir chain is restricted with a special regulation that requires releasing all fish from 24 to 36 inches, with only one pike over 36 inches allowed in a 3-fish limit. This regulation, which applies to all the connected lakes mentioned above, has been in place since 2003 with the goal of maintaining the overall catch rate and increasing the abundance of pike over 24 inches. In South Farm, pike were sampled at a rate of 3.8 fish/gill net, which was the highest catch per survey net ever recorded on South Farm Lake. The pike averaged 24.5 inches in length, which was smaller than the historical average for the lake. Additional pike were sampled in trap nets at a rate of 2.9 fish/trap net. These fish tended to be smaller, averaging 21.0 inches.

Bluegill were caught at rates that were below the historic median for the lake. Bluegill averaged 6.9 inches in length and displayed some of the fastest growth compared to other bluegill populations in the Tower area. The largest bluegill was 9.4 inches in length, and ages ranged from 2 to 12.

Black crappie were caught at rates that were above the historic median for the lake. Black crappie averaged 10.3 inches in length. The largest black crappie was 14.1 inches long, and ages ranged from 2 to 8.

Additional species sampled in 2023 included burbot, cisco, golden shiner, rock bass, white sucker, and yellow perch.

What is the average air temp for South Farm Lake?

Are there any state parks near South Farm Lake?