Low Lake

How big is Low Lake?

How deep is Low Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Low Lake?

What are the closest cities to Low Lake?

Are there boat launches on Low Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Low Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for Low Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations Low Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

Low Lake is a 316 acre lake located 5 miles north of Ely. The main access is a ramp off the Cloquet Line but there is also a portage access on the southwest end coming from Bass Lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet and brown water. Low Lake was thermally stratified on July 24, 2017 with a surface temperature of 73 F and a bottom temperature of 46 F. Low has two inlets and one outlet. The main river system running through it is the Range River which enters on the southwest side and exits out the north end. The other inlet is immediately adjacent to the main access coming from Bright and Hobo Lakes. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledge rock with muck in the bays. A large gravel point sticks out in the southwest bay, which formed when an abandoned logging sluiceway between Bass Lake and Low Lake failed in 1925, lowering Bass Lake by nearly 60 feet. The blowout moved a large amount of gravel down to Low Lake forming the point. Aquatic plants are abundant in the bays at each end and along the shore in the north arm, and grow to a depth of 10 feet. There is one designated campsite on the north shore of the southwest basin although the gravel bar in the southwest is also often used for camping. Most of the shoreline is US Forest Service owned and the only private parcels are along the east shore. A mix of walleye fry and fingerlings were stocked from 1968 to 1985. Since 1987, about 300,000 fry are stocked in odd years. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 10.0 fish/net which was the lowest rate compared to other surveys on Low Lake. Yield was 17.5 lbs/net which was also the lowest for the lake. Fish species sampled were walleye, black crappie, northern pike, bluegill, white sucker, smallmouth bass, and yellow perch. Trap nets caught fish at an overall rate of 72.9 fish/net which was by far the highest rate on record for the lake. This was due mostly to a very high bluegill catch. Yield was also the highest it had ever been at 26.8 lbs/net. In addition to the fish caught in gill nets, largemouth bass, rock bass, pumpkinseed, and hybrid sunfish were also sampled in trap nets. Twenty-four walleye were captured in gill nets for a catch rate of 2.7 fish/net. This catch rate was the lowest on record for Low Lake and below average compared to other similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 9 to 21 inches with an average of 17 inches, which was better than several other past surveys on Low. Average weight was nearly two pounds, which was good compared to other similar lakes. Growth rates were very fast with the average walleye being nearly 17 inches at four years old. Fish up to 8 years old were sampled and the 2011 year class was quite strong. Natural reproduction is certainly occurring but overall, stocked year classes made up 62% of the total catch. Electrofishing was used for the first time on Low Lake for smallmouth and largemouth bass sampling. Seventy-seven total bass (smallmouth and largemouth combined) were captured in 1.5 hours of fishing for a total catch rate of 51.3 bass/hour. Sixty-five smallmouth were captured in the 1.5 hours of fishing for a catch rate of 43.3 fish/hour. This was very good compared to other area smallmouth lakes. Lengths ranged from 3 to 20 inches with an average of 11 inches. The average weight was just shy of two pounds which was second highest in the smallmouth electrofishing surveys in the Tower area. Eight additional smallmouth were sampled in trap nets and gill nets. Growth rates were average compared to other smallmouth populations. Twelve largemouth bass were captured while electrofishing for a catch rate of 8.0 fish/hour. This was below average compared to other area largemouth lakes. Six additional largemouth were captured in trap nets which was above average compared to other similar lakes. Lengths of all 18 fish ranged from 6 to 20 inches with an average of 12 inches. The average weight from bass collected while electrofishing was nearly two pounds which was very good compared to other largemouth surveys in the area. Growth was good with the average four year old fish being around 11 inches. The bluegill population in Low Lake has always been relatively high but took a jump in the 2017 survey. The trapnet catch was 64.7 fish/net which was in the top ten of all bluegill lakes in the Tower area. Sizes ranged from 4 to 10 inches with an average of 7 inches and an average weight of around 0.3 pounds. Sizes were very good with more than 70% of the fish measuring over 6 inches long. Fish up to 12 years old were sampled with strong representation from the 2011 and 2012 year classes. Growth rates were a little above average with the average five year old fish being 6 inches long. The black crappie trapnet catch was 4.6 fish/net which was above average compared to other similar lakes but slightly below average compared to other surveys on Low Lake. Lengths ranged from 5.5 to 13 inches with an average of 10 inches. Over 75% of the catch was over 9.5 inches long with the average crappie needing 5 years to reach that size. Fish up to 10 years old were included in the sample with good year classes from 2010, 2012, and 2014. The northern pike gillnet catch was 1.7 fish/net which was low compared to other similar lakes and low for Low Lake in general. Sizes were decent though with lengths ranging from 17 to 37 inches and an average of 24.5 inches. The average weight was nearly four pounds which was very good compared to other similar lakes in the state. The white sucker gillnet catch was 1.2 fish/net which was the lowest on record for Low Lake. Sucker numbers have been trending down throughout the years but sizes have remained stable. Other species sampled in low numbers (both this survey and historically) were yellow perch, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, and rock bass.

What is the average air temp for Low Lake?

Are there any state parks near Low Lake?