Esquagama Lake

How big is Esquagama Lake?

How deep is Esquagama Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Esquagama Lake?

What are the closest cities to Esquagama Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Esquagama Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Esquagama Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Esquagama Lake

Are there places to eat and drink near Esquagama Lake?

Esquagama Lake is a 453 acre lake located five miles southeast of Gilbert. It is accessed by a ramp on the south side of the lake on land that is privately owned by the Eshquaguma Country Club. This Ecological Lake Class 5 lake has a maximum depth of 90 feet and dark brown water. On July 17, 2018 Esquagama Lake was weakly thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 75 F and a bottom temperature of 42 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish throughout the water column.

Esquagama is relatively developed with year round and seasonal homes. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly sand and rubble. The only place a substantial amount of aquatic vegetation grows is in the long muck bottom bay that extends to the southwest. The Embarrass River enters the lake on the north end and empties out the southwest corner. There are no barriers to fish movement in the inlet from Cedar Island Lake. The outlet to the St. Louis River has a dam with a fixed head of several feet. At times of high water fish are able to move in and out of Esquagama Lake.

The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 22.7 fish/net which was below average compared to past surveys on the lake. Fish species sampled were cisco, walleye, northern pike, white sucker, black bullhead, and yellow perch. Trap nets caught fish at an overall rate of 12.4 fish/net which was also lower than average for the lake. Additional species sampled in trap nets were bluegill, black crappie, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, pumpkinseed, and brown bullhead.

Fifty-two walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 5.8 fish/net, which was above average compared to other similar lakes in the state and the highest catch on record for Esquagama Lake. Sizes ranged from 8 to 29 inches with an average of 12 inches which was bigger than normal for the lake. As is the often the case for lakes with strong river influence, walleye growth can be somewhat slow. It takes the average walleye 7 years to reach 15 inches in Esquagama.

The northern pike gillnet catch was 2.1 fish/net which was higher than normal for Esquagama but lower than average compared to other similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 16 to 39 inches with an average of 23 inches. The average weight was nearly 3 pounds which was good compared to other similar lakes in the state.

The bluegill trapnet catch was 6 fish/net which was similar to most past surveys on the lake, with one exception being a high catch rate in 1999. Lengths were also similar with an average of 5 inches and the biggest fish measuring nearly 9 inches.

The black crappie trapnet catch was 2.3 fish/net which was above average compared to other similar lakes and tied for the highest catch rate on Esquagama. Lengths ranged from 4 to 12 inches with an average of just over 8 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 8 with the strongest representation from the 2015 year class. Growth rates were average compared to other area crappie lakes.

The cisco catch rate was 13.3 fish/gill net which was below average compared to past surveys on Esquagama. The average length of 8 inches was smaller than past surveys. The biggest fish which measured over 15 inches, was similar to big fish caught in past surveys.

Other species sampled but in lower numbers were black and brown bullhead, white sucker, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and shorthead redhorse.

Some of the northern pike and rock bass had moderate neascus (black spot) infestations.

Rusty crayfish, a non-native invasive species, were sampled for the first time in Esquagama Lake during the 1999 survey. In that survey, over 11/gill net and 46/trap net were sampled. The 2018 survey showed a lower abundance with a gill net catch rate of just over 3/net and a trap net catch rate of less than 1/net.

What is the average air temp for Esquagama Lake?

Are there any state parks near Esquagama Lake?