Kinbrae Lake

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Kinbrae Lake is a 120-acre lake located near the City of Kinbrae in Nobles County. Historically, Kinbrae Lake has been prone to winterkills, with the last major winterkill occurring during the winter of 2013-2014. Since the winterkill, Kinbrae Lake has been stocked with Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Bluegill, and Yellow Perch, in an effort to reestablish gamefish populations. It was also suspected that Kinbrae Lake may have winterkilled during the winter of 2017-2018; however, electrofishing in the spring of 2018 captured many species of game fish. Kinbrae Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch, and secondarily for Walleye, Largemouth Bass, and sunfish. A standard survey was conducted the week of May 29, 2018, to monitor fish populations following the harsh winter of 2013-2014.

Northern Pike catch rates in Kinbrae Lake have varied from 0.0 per gill net in 1994 to 4.3 per gill net in 2006 and have averaged 2.2 per gill net since 1994. The 2018 catch rate of 3.5 per gill net is within the expected range of catch rate for similar lakes (1.1 to 8.0 per gill net), and is the second highest Pike catch rate recorded at Kinbrae Lake. Lengths of Northern Pike ranged from 18.1 to 27.1 inches and averaged 22.5 inches. Kinbrae Lake is within the "southern zone" of the new Northern Pike zone regulations, so two Pike 24 inches or longer can be harvested. Northern Pike under 24 inches must be released.

The Yellow Perch catch rate in 2018 was the highest ever recorded at Kinbrae Lake at 81.5 per gill net, greatly exceeding the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.7 to 25.0 per gill net). Prior to the 2018 survey, catch rates had ranged from 0.3 per gill net in 1994 to 40.0 per gill net in 2012. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 5.2 to 11.7 inches and averaged 8.7 inches. Thirty percent of Yellow Perch sampled were 9 inches or greater in length. Yellow Perch angling should be good in the coming years in Kinbrae Lake, barring any winterkill events.

Walleye abundance has historically been low in Kinbrae Lake, with catch rates ranging from 0.0 per gill net in 1994 to 3.0 per gill net in 2012 and averaging 1.5 per gill net since the 1994 survey. In 2018, Walleye were captured at a rate of 1.0 per gill net, below the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.3 to 18.1 per gill net). Lengths of Walleye were 14.9, 15.2, and 20.2 inches. Since the winterkill in 2013-2014, Kinbrae Lake has been stocked extensively with Walleye fry, fingerlings, and adults. Largemouth Bass predation may be limiting the Walleye population in Kinbrae Lake.

Bluegill were captured at a rate of 0.9 per trap net and 5.5 per gill net in 2018. The trap net catch rate was not within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.2 to 20.0 per trap net); however the gill net catch rate of 5.5 indicates that their abundance is higher than what the trap net catch rate suggests. Bluegill lengths ranged from 5.5 to 8.5 inches and averaged 6.8 inches. Despite the low trap net catch rate, a fishable population exists, and a sufficient number of adult Bluegill are present to increase the abundance of the Bluegill population through natural reproduction.

The Largemouth Bass population was not assessed with electrofishing during this survey; however, five Largemouth Bass were captured in the gill nets (2.5 per gill net), which is higher than the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (0.2 to 1.5 per gill net), indicating that Largemouth Bass abundance is high in Kinbrae Lake. Lengths of Largemouth Bass ranged from 10.8 to 13.8 inches and averaged 11.7 inches.

The Black Bullhead catch rate in 2018 was 181.0 per gill net, similar to the catch rate in 2012 of 191.0 per gill net. The catch rate exceeded the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (30.3 to 150.6 per gill net). Black Bullhead lengths ranged from 5.3 to 11.4 inches and averaged 8.7 inches. Common Carp have not been sampled in Kinbrae Lake during surveys.

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