Burntside Lake

How big is Burntside Lake?

How deep is Burntside Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Burntside Lake?

What are the closest cities to Burntside Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Burntside 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 Burntside Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Burntside Lake East

Burntside Lake West

Are there boat launches on Burntside Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Burntside Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Burntside Lake?

Burntside Lake is located northwest of Ely and has five public motor boat accesses as well as a number of portage and water route connections to other nearby lakes. It is a 7,314 acre lake with a maximum depth of 126 feet and clear water. There are several relatively minor inlets, located mostly on the north side of the lake. Only one outlet exists which is the Shagawa River. This river flows out of the southwest corner of the lake where it heads east to Shagawa Lake. Burntside Lake is a two-story fishery with deep, cold, well oxygenated water capable of supporting a cold water fishery and a shallow, warmer, but still well oxygenated area capable of supporting a cool and warm water fishery.

Three dissolved oxygen profiles (west end, east end, and north arm) were taken on Burntside Lake on June 28, 2021. All three basins showed thermal stratification with surface temperatures between 71 F and 73 F and bottom temperatures from 42 F to 44 F. Dissolved oxygen levels were adequate for lake trout to nearly the bottom on all water quality locations. Additionally at all three sites, water temperatures suitable for lake trout (<55 F) were reached around 27 feet. The water quality in 2021 was similar to previous investigations on this lake which showed good oxygen levels throughout the water column.

Burntside is one of the most popular lakes in the Tower area providing for a number of recreational pursuits. It is a prototypical northern Minnesota/Canadian shield waterbody with shorelines covered in tall pines, areas of tall granite ledge rock, many islands, exceptionally clear water and much of the shoreline undeveloped. Areas along the south shore, east end and parts of the north arm are accessible by road. Some of these areas are moderately developed with homes and cabins. Most of the undeveloped public land is owned by the US Forest Service. Several lakeshore campsites are located on the north arm and west end. In the spring of 2015 the Forest Service conducted prescribed burns along the north shore of much of the west end and part of the southwest side of the north arm. Some of the islands on the west end were also burned. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledgerock. Some bays have soft bottoms with a fair amount of aquatic vegetation. Additionally, a few bays are quite sandy and make for great swimming areas.

Walleye fingerlings are currently being stocked on an every even year basis at an average rate of nearly 25,000 fish per stocking event. Rainbow smelt, a non-native invasive species, were discovered in the lake in 1970. This was likely a result of an unintended bait release or the consequence of smelt netters cleaning their catch from Lake Superior on their docks and unintentionally introducing fertilized eggs to the lake.

The overall deep water gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 2.2 fish/net which was below average compared to past surveys on the lake. Yield was 6.0 lbs/net which was also below the lakes historic average. Fish species sampled in deep water gill nets were lake trout, lake whitefish, burbot, and rainbow smelt. The overall shallow water gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 13.3 fish/net which was below the lakes historic average. Yield however was 24.7 lbs/net which was above average. Fish species sampled were mostly walleye, rock bass, northern pike, and smallmouth bass, although white sucker, shorthead redhorse, yellow perch, and lake whitefish were also caught. The overall small-mesh gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 2.6 fish/net which was the lowest catch rate on record for the lake, although this maintains a similar trend of the past several surveys showing a decreasing catch rate driven mostly by rainbow smelt numbers. Fish species sampled were rainbow smelt, sculpin, lake trout, and lake whitefish.

The deep water gillnet catch rate for lake trout in 2021 was 1.0 fish/net which was below average compared to historic surveys of Burntside. This catch rate was also below average compared to all other lake trout lakes in the Tower area. Lengths ranged from 7 to 28 inches with an average of nearly 20 inches. This average length was the best since the 1988 survey. Maximum length was on par with previous surveys and the average fish weighed nearly 3 pounds. Aging was not done on all lake trout that were caught, but of those that were, ages ranged from 1 to 8 years. Growth was fast when compared to the averages of all lake trout lakes in the Tower area. The average seven year old lake trout was 20 inches long.

Ten lake whitefish were caught in the deep water gillnets for a catch rate of 0.8 fish/net. The lake whitefish population appears to be slowly rebounding after hitting a low catch rate of 0.3 fish/deep net in 2015. The prior declining population was likely due to the introduction and expansion of rainbow smelt, first documented in the 1970's. Sizes of all lake whitefish sampled in 2021 were 5.5 to nearly 28 inches with an average of 15 inches. Ages ranged from 2 to 27 with 13 of the 15 fish under the age of nine. This was by far the most young, small, fish that were sampled since the late 1980's.

Forty-six walleye were sampled in the shallow water gill nets for a catch rate of 3.8 fish/net. This catch rate was slightly below average for Burntside Lake. Lengths ranged from 7 to 27 inches with an average of just over 18 inches. This average length was the second longest on record for the lake. The average weight was 2.5 pounds. Walleye growth was good compared to other lakes in the area with the average fish taking only four years to reach 16 inches long. Ages ranged from 1 to 23 with nearly all fish coming from stocked years. Eight year classes were identified with the 2016 year class containing nearly half of the total catch.

The northern pike shallow water gillnet catch was 2.7 fish/net which was tied with two other surveys for the highest catch rate on record for the lake. Lengths ranged from 15 to 41 inches with an average of nearly 24 inches. Sizes were on par with previous surveys and the average weight was 3.5 pounds.

Seventeen smallmouth bass were sampled in shallow water gill nets for a catch rate of 1.4 fish/net which was average for the lake. Lengths ranged from 6 to 19 inches with an average of just over 12 inches. Growth however was quite slow with the average fish taking seven years to reach 12 inches long. Ages ranged from 2 to 16 years.

The small mesh gillnet catch rate of rainbow smelt was 1.8 fish/net. This was the lowest catch rate on record for the lake. Previous surveys of smelt catches were highly variable, however the catch rate has shown a dramatic drop over the past five surveys. Sizes have remained relatively constant through time with an overall average length of 5 inches. This however isn't surprising as the mesh size is highly selective for specific sizes of fish. If the overall size distribution has become smaller, as appears is the case based on stomach analysis of predator fish, the small mesh nets would likely still sample the same sizes of individual fish that have been sampled in the past. However, if the true mean size has shrunk, the majority of the fish may simply be small enough to swim through the smallest mesh size and thus aren't sampled.

Spiny water flea (Bythotrephes longimanus) are a non-native invasive zooplankton that were first discovered in Burntside Lake in 2010. They are known to consume other native zooplankton which are often an important food source for native fish. Evidence from other lakes has shown a decline or elimination of some species of native zooplankton after spiny's were introduced. There is an increased risk of spread with this small invasive as they can attach to fishing lines, downriggers, anchor ropes, and fishing nets, as well as be transported in bait buckets, bilges and livewells of boats if they are not completely dried out. Although they were only recently discovered in Burntside Lake, their impacts are yet to be determined and all precautions should be taken to prevent further spread.

What is the average air temp for Burntside Lake?

Are there any state parks near Burntside Lake?