Mud Hen Lake

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What kind of fish can you catch in Mud Hen Lake?

Are there boat launches on Mud Hen Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Mud Hen Lake?

Mud Hen is a 166-acre lake with 166 (100%) acres of littoral area and maximum depth of 9 feet. Mud Hen is located two miles east of Makinen, MN off St. Louis County Highway #16. Mud Hen Lake has a gravel, state-administered, back-in public access. Currently, Mud Hen is stocked with walleye fry every even year and in any odd year following a winterkill. Mud Hen was last assessed in 2013 and initially surveyed in 1992. Mud Hen was surveyed during the summer of 2023 to update information about fish populations and to evaluate the success of the walleye fry stocking program.

Walleye abundance of 0.0 per gillnet lift was down from 2013 (7.8) and was below average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. The absence of observed Walleye is likely due to a partial winterkill. Low dissolved oxygen measurements taken mid-winter and anecdotal evidence from lake residents suggests a partial winterkill event occurred during the winter of 2022-2023.

Northern pike abundance of 7.6 per gillnet lift was down from 2013 (17.2) and was average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Mean length was 21.1 inches and growth was average when compared to other Duluth Area lakes. All year-classes from 2018 through 2022 were represented. The 2021 year-class was strong, contributing to 58% of the overall catch.

Yellow perch abundance of 20 per gillnet lift was down from 2013 (35.5) and was above average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Average length of perch was 6.8 inches and growth was average when compared to other Duluth Area lakes. All year-classes from 2017 to 2022 were represented.

Black crappie abundance of 0.0 per trapnet lift was down from 2013 (0.2) and was below average when compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. The suggested partial winterkill may be a contributing factor to the absence of Black Crappie in the 2023 survey.

Bluegill abundance of 0.2 per trapnet lift was down from 2013 (2.8) and below average when compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Both Bluegill observed were from the 2020 year class and averaged 6.1 inches in length.

No Largemouth Bass were sampled by electrofishing. The suggested partial winterkill may be a contributing factor to the absence of Largemouth Bass in the 2023 survey.

Bullhead (Black Bullhead and Brown Bullhead) abundance of 163 per gillnet lift was well above average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Measured Black Bullheads (124 fish) had a mean length of 7.9 inches and a maximum length of 12.3 inches. Measured Brown Bullheads (113 fish) had a mean length of 8.2 inches and a maximum length of 10.2 inches.

Other fish species sampled included Golden Shiner and White Sucker.

Low dissolved oxygen measurements taken mid-winter in addition to anecdotal evidence from lake residents suggests a partial winterkill event occurred during the winter of 2022-2023. The fish community is consistent with a lake subject to winterkills with a high density of Northern Pike and Black Bullheads. In addition to the bi-annual stocking, Walleye fry are stocked the spring following a suggested winterkill to attempt to achieve management goals of maintaining a Walleye population with a gillnet CPUE of 4 per lift.

Winterkill of fish occurs when the dissolved oxygen levels in a lake become too low and fish perish. Contributing factors to winterkill can include low water levels, early ice-up and/or a late ice-out that contributes to extended total days with ice cover. Some additional factors can be lake depth, thickness of ice and depth of snow cover, and larger than normal amounts of decomposing organic matter such as plants and algae.

A substantial percentage (42%) of lakeshore homeowners on Mud Hen Lake have open yards extending to the shoreline. Lakeshore owners can prevent excessive nutrient loading which leads to excessive plant growth and poor water quality by avoiding lawn fertilization, limiting aquatic vegetation removal, and implementing riparian best management practices.

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