Stanchfield Lake

How big is Stanchfield Lake?

How deep is Stanchfield Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Stanchfield Lake?

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Are there boat launches on Stanchfield Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Stanchfield Lake?

Stanchfield Lake (DOW# 49-0118-00; Lake Class 33) is a 145 acre lake located near Pillager, Minnesota. The lake has an approximately 40 acre open water area with the remainder of its area attached wetland. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned undeveloped gravel boat ramp is located on the south shore. Stanchfield Lake has 3.08 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 32 feet. The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie and Bluegill. Largemouth Bass are a secondary management species. The lake was initially surveyed in 1959 and nine fish sampling surveys or investigations have occurred since then with the most recent prior sampling (a spring electrofishing survey) in 2015.

Daytime spring electrofishing was used on Stanchfield Lake on 19 May 2021 to evaluate Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie populations. Only two (3.1/hour) Largemouth Bass were netted in the 2021 spring electrofishing effort. Bass captured in the 2021 assessment were 9.0 and 9.9 inches in total length. Few other bass were observed during sampling suggesting spawning activity had not yet started. Fourteen Bluegill ranging from 4.3 to 9.1 inches and averaging 6.4 inches in total length were captured during the assessment. Bluegill spawning was not observed, so relatively few were encountered in shallow water. The catch rate of Bluegill was 21.5/hour. No aging structures were taken from Bluegill in 2021. Bluegill growth from past assessments suggested slow initial growth through age three, with normal growth commencing after age 4. The presence of Bluegill exceeding 9 inches in this assessment suggests a quality size component exists in Stanchfield Lake. The remote nature of the lake may afford some protection to the fishery, although its small size may make it vulnerable to overharvest if angler effort were to increase significantly. Fisheries managers suggest anglers limit their harvest of Bluegill exceeding 8.0 inches on the lake and consider taking only enough for a single meal of fish per angler.

Black Crappie was the most abundant species netted in the 2021 electrofishing assessment. Spawning had commenced during the survey in 2021, making them vulnerable to electrofishing. A total of 98 Black Crappie were sampled for a catch rate of 150.7/hour. Crappie ranged from 6.0 to 11.3 inches and averaged 9.2 inches in total length. More than 20% of the crappie sample exceeded 10 inches. A subsample of fish were aged and 2 through 8 and 10 year old fish were present in the sample in 2021. Crappie appear to grow normal to slow with individuals exceeding 9 inches at age 4 and 10 inches at age 6. Growth once fish exceed 10 inches slows substantially. Catch rates and size distribution were similar when compared to an electrofishing survey done in 2015.

Other species observed during the 2021 electrofishing survey included Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. Four Northern Pike ranging from 12.2 to 20.9 inches were measured and seventeen Yellow Perch from 3.2 to 10.2 inches were sampled. Spring daytime electrofishing has shown to be an effective method of evaluating the fish community in Stanchfield Lake and will be used again as it is less time consuming compared to spring trap net assessments.

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Are there any state parks near Stanchfield Lake?