Iron Lake

How big is Iron Lake?

How deep is Iron Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Iron Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Iron Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Iron Lake?

Iron Lake is located within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) within the Superior National Forest and is a non-motorized lake. It is approximately 22 miles north of Ely. There are four accesses, three of which are portages and one is a water route. Accesses consist of the outlet to Bottle Lake in the northwest corner, a 320 rod portage to Lac la Croix to the west, a 72 rod portage to Dark Lake to the south, and a 140 rod portage to Crooked Lake to the east. Iron has two major inlets and two major outlets. Curtain Falls flows in along the portage from Crooked Lake to the east while the Beartrap River flows in from the south. One outlet flows through Bottle Lake before ending at Bottle Rapids and draining into Lac la Croix to the west. The other outlet flows north through Rebecca Falls to the Namakan River and McAree Lake. Rebecca Falls, as well as the northern 1/4 of Iron Lake and the largest island, are located in Ontario Canada's Quetico Provincial Park. Iron is a 1,962 acre (1,531 acres in Minnesota) lake with a maximum depth of 64 feet and brown colored water. BWCAW permits are required to visit Iron through an official entry point and there are ten U. S. Forest Service maintained campsites on the lake. On June 25, 2018 Iron was weakly thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 69 F and a bottom temperature of 46 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish throughout the water column. The lake has such a strong current influence that it likely remains somewhat mixed throughout the summer. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Iron are dominated by boulder and ledgerock. Aquatic plants are sparse and only grow in some of the shallow bays. There was no record of stocking in Iron Lake. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 25.3 fish/net. Fish species sampled were walleye, sauger, northern pike, black crappie, yellow perch, rock bass, lake whitefish, cisco, and white sucker. Eighty-seven walleye were sampled for a catch rate of 7.3 fish/gill net, which was slightly better than average compared to other similar lakes in the state and good compared to other walleye lakes in the area. Sizes were decent with an average length of 14 inches and the largest fish sampled measuring just over 24 inches. The average weight was nearly a pound, however growth rates were extremely slow with the average walleye taking 7 years to reach 15 inches. Fish up to 16 years old were sampled with the 2011, 2012, and 2013 year classes appearing strong. Iron is one of only a handful of lakes in the Tower area to have sauger. A catch rate of 0.7 fish/net indicates the population is relatively low but comparable to other lakes with sauger in the area. Sizes ranged from 10 to 15 inches with an average of 13 inches. Growth rates were similar to other sauger populations with the average fish growing to 12 inches in five years. The northern pike gillnet catch rate was 2.9 fish/net which was better than average compared to other similar lakes in the state. Sizes were impressive with the average fish weighing just over four pounds. The average length was just over 25 inches and fish over 39 inches were sampled. The cisco gillnet catch rate was 9.5 fish/net which was quite high compared to other surveys in the Tower area. Sizes ranged from 6 to 13 inches with an average of nearly 9 inches. No smallmouth bass were sampled in gill nets however, several were caught while angling. Angler reports suggest smallmouth are relatively abundant in the lake with a number of decent sized fish present. Smallmouth do not always sample well in gill nets so it is not surprising none were caught. Additional species sampled were one 17 inch lake whitefish as well as small numbers of black crappie, rock bass, yellow perch, and white sucker.

What is the average air temp for Iron Lake?