West Twin Lake

How big is West Twin Lake?

How deep is West Twin Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in West Twin Lake?

What are the closest cities to West Twin Lake?

Are there boat launches on West Twin Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near West Twin Lake?

West Twin Lake is a 232-acre, shallow southern Minnesota Lake with a maximum depth of 10.0 feet. The nearest town to West Twin Lake is Florence, approximately 21 miles southwest of Marshall, in Lyon County. The lake has been aerated since 1985 to reduce the frequency and/or severity of winterkills. Currently the Balaton Sportsmen's Club uses an "Ice Eater" system to aerate the lake. A County ordinance restricts motor use to electric or paddle only on West Twin Lake to protect the diverse native aquatic plant community that is present. West Twin Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch, and secondarily for Bluegill and Largemouth Bass. A fish survey using trap nets and daytime electrofishing was conducted during the summer of 2020.

Five Northern Pike were caught in six trap nets (0.8 per trap net). The Northern Pike trap net catch rate was the highest observed for this lake. Lengths of Northern Pike ranged from just shy of 20 inches to 30.5 inches and averaged 22.6 inches. Current southern Minnesota bag limits are 2 Northern Pike over 24 inches in length, so some harvestable fish can be found in West Twin. In addition to harvestable size Northern Pike, West Twin Lake Northern Pike are heavy bodied healthy looking fish!

Yellow Perch were captured at a rate of 4.8 per trap net, exceeding the upper expected catch rate value for similar shallow lakes (3.76 per trap net). Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from just under 6 inches to nearly 9.5 inches and averaged 6.8 inches. Yellow Perch were in fair condition with a somewhat slim body shape. West Twin Lake is currently dominated by smaller sized Yellow Perch that would benefit from increased prey abundance and some angler harvest to thin the population and reduce competition for food. Statewide, the MN DNR is researching slow growth and lack of large Yellow Perch presence. More information on this subject may help to boost populations statewide. The high abundance of Bluegills during the survey may influence Yellow Perch success due to competition.

During 2020, daytime electrofishing of Largemouth Bass resulted in a catch rate of 22 per hour. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from just under 4 inches to just above 16 inches and averaged 11 inches. The Largemouth Bass do not require stocking and maintain themselves through natural reproduction. West Twin Lake has excellent habitat for Largemouth Bass that should result in a stable or increasing Largemouth Bass population. West Twin Lake has the potential to produce big Largemouth Bass, and several have been caught in the past.

The 2020 Bluegill catch rate was the highest ever recorded for West Twin Lake. The catch rate of 61.1 per trap net was more than 5 times greater than the previous record of 5.7 per trap net in 2012. The 2020 catch rate exceeds the upper expected catch rate value for other shallow southern Minnesota lakes (20.0 per trap net). Several different ages of Bluegill are present, ranging in length from 4.5 to nearly 8 inches with an average just shy of 6 inches. Condition and health of Bluegill was above average with many plump and potentially fast growing fish!

Other species sampled included Black Bullhead (30 fish with a catch rate of 5.0 per trap net), Green Sunfish (1 fish), and Walleye (7 fish with a catch rate of 1.17 per trap net). Interestingly, Walleye are not stocked in West Twin Lake and most likely have made their way in via angler stocking or natural reproduction. In 2020 there was evidence of natural reproduction, so a small population of Walleye may persist in West Twin Lake with some really plump and healthy fish present from time to time.

Are there any state parks near West Twin Lake?