Mill Lake

How big is Mill Lake?

How deep is Mill Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Mill Lake?

What are the closest cities to Mill Lake?

Are there boat launches on Mill Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Mill Lake?

Mill Lake is a shallow (18' maximum depth) lake with moderate to poor water clarity and a secchi disk reading of 5.5 feet in mid-July. Coontail, flat-stem pondweed, and largeleaf pondweed were the most common submergent vegetation species and grew to depths of 12 - 13 feet. White and yellow waterlily were common floating leaf plants. The most common shallow water substrates were sand and rubble. The shallow nature of the lake along with the dense weed beds has made the lake susceptible to partial winterkill in the past, although it has been many years since the last occurrence.
Most anglers are drawn to the lake for its panfish. At the time of the survey there were good numbers of 6 to 7-inch Bluegills with some exceeding 7 inches in length. Mill Lake also has an abundance of small, slow growing Black Crappies as most of the fish caught in the summer survey were under 9 inches in length. A reduction in abundance through fishing or natural means will be required to improve the size structure of the crappie population. The lake has a desirable Northern Pike population. Though not abundant, the fish averaged about 4.3 pounds or almost 27 inches and pike exceeding 30 inches are not uncommon. A healthy Yellow Perch population provides the prey base necessary to grow these quality Northern Pike. Anglers may also want to pursue perch as fish up to 10 inches were sampled during the assessments.
Mill Lake supports a healthy Largemouth Bass population. Although few were caught in the summer survey, spring electrofishing documented bass up to 20 inches with a fair number between 12 and 15 inches. Anglers have also reported good bass fishing. Some Walleye natural reproduction appears to occur as Walleye stocking was discontinued in the 90's. The population is low and catching one would likely require some luck.
Other fish species in the lake include Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullheads, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Bullhead numbers were within the normal range when compared to similar type lakes with some of the fish up to 15 inches in length. Voluntarily releasing large Northern Pike and bass would be helpful in maintaining population size structures and a balanced fish community. Increased harvest of the slow growing Black Crappies under 8 inches may actually help improve future growth rates.
Much of Mill Lake's shoreline is undeveloped and provides good habitat for fish and wildlife. Minimizing impacts to the lake's remaining undeveloped shoreline will be critical, especially if more shoreline is developed for residential uses.

What is the average air temp for Mill Lake?

Are there any state parks near Mill Lake?