Fall Lake DNR Info

Name: FALL
Nearest Town: On N & E edge of Winton
Primary County: Lake
Lake Characteristics
Lake Area (acres): 2,173.00
Littoral Area (acres): 1,178.00
Maximum Depth (ft): 32.00
Water Clarity (ft): 7.00

Fall Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 7, which consists of 41 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are very large, have irregular shoreline shapes, and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Fall Lake is typical of lakes in this lake class except that it is shallower.
 
Fall Lake was thermally stratified on 08/18/2003, with a surface temperature of 77 F and a bottom temperature of 50 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was retained to a depth of 16 ft, where the temperature was 71 F. Fall Lake does not stratify in most summers, and normally retains good levels of oxygen to within a foot or two of the bottom.
 
The northeast portion of Fall Lake is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (www.bwcaw.org)motorboats in this part of the lake are limited to 25 horsepower and BWCAW permits are required. Public accesses to Fall Lake are in Winton and at the USFS Fall Lake Campground, which is a major entry point to Newton and Basswood Lakes in the BWCAW.
 
Fish populations in 2003, as in most previous investigations, were dominated by walleye and northern pike, followed by white sucker and yellow perch. Cisco numbers in 2003 were lower than normal for this lake.
 
Walleye numbers in 2003 (13.2/gillnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were similar to the median catch of 11.9/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Walleye sizes in 2003 averaged 12.8" (0.8 lb), which was in the second quartile for this lake class and was similar to the average size of 12.5" in all investigations on this lake. The largest walleye captured in 2003 was 28.8". Many of the walleye captured in 2003 (44 percent) were age two, but ages 1-5 were all well represented. Walleye have not been stocked in Fall Lake since 1990, and it appears that natural reproduction has been sufficient to maintain a walleye population at historic levels for this lake and higher than normal for this lake class. Growth of walleye captured in 2003 was somewhat slower than normal (in the second quartile for most ages) by area standards.
 
Northern pike numbers in 2003 (5.4/gillnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 2.8/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Pike sizes in 2003 averaged 19.9" (1.8 lb), which was in the first quartile for this lake class and was similar to the average size of 19.4" in all investigations on this lake. The largest pike captured in 2003 was 28.7". Pike scales collected in 2003 were difficult to read, but most pike were ages 2-4 and pike growth appeared to be somewhat faster than normal (in the third quartile) by area standards.
 
Perch numbers in 2003 (4.7/gillnet) were in the third quartile for this lake class and were lower than the median catch of 6.4/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Perch sizes in 2003 averaged 8.3" (0.3 lb), which was in the fourth quartile for this lake class. The largest perch captured in 2003 was 13.3" Perch scales collected in 2003 were difficult to read, but most perch were ages 2-5 and perch growth appeared to be faster than normal (in the fourth quartile) by area standards.
 
Cisco numbers in 2003 (4.0/gillnet) were in the second quartile for this lake class and were lower than the median catch of 13.0/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Cisco numbers have been lower than normal in the last four investigations on this lake, beginning in 1993. Cisco sizes in 2003 were larger than normal for this lake class, but were similar to sizes in previous investigations on this lake; the largest cisco in 2003 was 15.7".
 
Black crappie and bluegill numbers in 2003, as in previous investigations, were low. Some good sized crappie (11") and bluegill (9") were captured. Smallmouth bass numbers were likely underrepresented in the 2003 investigation, as bass are "net shy" and difficult to catch in standard sampling gears. The largest smallmouth captured in 2003 were 16".
 
Some of the northern pike, walleye and yellow perch examined in 2003 were infected with neascus (black spot). Some of the bass had bass tapeworm larvae in their viscera, some of the cisco had triaenophorus larvae in their muscle, and some of the yellow perch had yellow grub in their skin. All of these are common parasites that are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.
 
Rusty crayfish were first observed in the Shagawa River, upstream of Fall Lake, in 1984. They were first captured in Fall Lake in the 1986 investigation, and their numbers subsequently increased from 42/gillnet in 1989 to 89/gillnet in 2003. Rusty crayfish are native to the Ohio River Valley and were likely introduced here by anglers using them for bait. They are large and aggressive. They usually outcompete native crayfish, often devastate aquatic vegetation, and may annoy swimmers.

For Additional Information
Area Fisheries Supervisor:
650 HWY 169
TOWER, MN 55790
(218) 753-2580