Lake Jennie

How big is Lake Jennie?

How deep is Lake Jennie?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lake Jennie?

What are the closest cities to Lake Jennie?

Are there boat launches on Lake Jennie?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lake Jennie?

Jennie is a moderate sized lake (1,068 acres) located south of the City of Dassel in Meeker County. A state-owned access with a double cement boat ramp is present on the southwest shore along with a fishing pier. A small state owned access with a cement ramp is present on the north shore. Jennie has six miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 15 feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Jennie is a class 41 lake and other similar lakes in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area are Washington and Long Lake (Grove City) in Meeker County. Although submergent plant sampling was not performed in 2022, anecdotal observations indicated that coontail was abundant across much of the basin. Curlyleaf pondweed can also be plentiful in May and June.

Walleye were sampled in low numbers in 2022 (1.2 per gill net) but average size was impressive with fish averaging almost 25 inches in length. The longest Walleye sampled was 28 inches. Walleye were age-6 to age-14 with three year classes being present. A new Walleye stocking regime using 500 fry per littoral acre every other year was initiated in 2022 after 15 years of fingerling and yearling stocking produced underwhelming results. While habitat changes to the lake may have changed the fish community and shifted it away from Walleye dominance to Northern Pike, a return to Walleye fry stocking provides better opportunities for potential strong year classes and has been used in the past on Jennie Lake with mixed results.

Moderate numbers of Northern Pike were gill netted with fish averaging an impressive 24.6 inches in length. Approximately 32% of pike netted were 26 inches or longer. Northern pike regulations were revised at a statewide level beginning in 2018 to better accommodate regional differences in pike habitats and population abundance and size structuring. Three zones were established for northern pike with their own bag and length limit restrictions. In the north-central zone where Jennie Lake is found, anglers can keep up to 10 northern pike, but no more than two pike larger than 26 inches; and all pike from 22 to 26 inches must be released. This zone regulation is meant to reduce small pike abundance by shifting population size structure back to more medium to large pike.

Low to moderate numbers of Black Crappie are typically sampled at Jennie Lake and this remained true in 2022. Unfortunately, 94% of the catch was under 8 inches in length. The longest Black Crappie sampled was just over 13 inches.
Moderate numbers of Yellow Perch were netted, but only two were over 7 inches in length. However, larger predator fish (Northern Pike, Walleye and Largemouth Bass) will benefit from the good numbers of perch forage that was present.

Other species that anglers may encounter include Black Bullhead, Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp and Hybrid Sunfish.

People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Overharvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are typically moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters and lakeshore owners, and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and drain all lake water from their boat and bait buckets before leaving the lake. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local MNDNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the MNDNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Hutchinson Area Fisheries office.

What is the average air temp for Lake Jennie?