Lake information report

Name: Farm Island

Nearest Town: Bennettville Primary County: Aitkin Survey Date: 07/30/2007 Inventory Number: 01015900

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Public Access Information

Fishing Regulations:

Lake Characteristics

Fish Sampled for the 2007 Survey Year

Length of Selected Species (Trapnet, Gillnet) Sampled for the 2007 Survey Year

Fish Stocking Activity

Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Ten Years

Fish Consumption Guidelines

These fish consumption guidelines help people make choices about which fish to eat and how often. Following the guidelines enables people to reduce their exposure to contaminants while still enjoying the many benefits from fish.

Pregnant Women, Women who may become pregnant and Children under age 15

General Population

DOWID - MN DNR, Divion of Waters' lake ID number.

Contaminants listed were measured at levels high enough to warrant a recommendation to limit consumption.

Listing of consumption guidelines do not imply the fish are legal to keep, MN DNR fishing regulations should be consulted.

Dioxin
Mercury
PCBS - Polychlorinated biphenyls
PFOS - Perfluorooctane sulfanate

Status of the Fishery (as of 07/30/2007)

Farm Island is a large, hardwater lake with good clarity and is located 7 miles south of Aitkin. It is 2,054 acres with a maximum depth of 56 feet. There are several islands on the lake, which also has a complex bottom structure. There are two state owned public accesses, with concrete ramps, on the lake. One is on the north side of the lake and the other on the south end. The one on the north side was recently completed in the fall of 2007.

The walleye population in Farm Island is looking good again this year. There is a strong 2002 year class that is just entering the 16 to 19 inch protected slot and two strong year classes, 2004 and 2005, coming up. The average length of the 2004 year class sampled in this survey was almost 14 inches so they should be showing up in the harvest as 14 and 15-inch walleye in 2008. Most of the fish from the strong 1999 year class will have now grown out of the protected slot. The males should be 19 to 20 inches long and the females up to 26 or 27 inches in length. Although there has been a modest increase of fish within the protected slot, it appears more fish are surviving to larger sizes. Whereas the mean gill net catch rate for walleye over 19 inches was 1.1 per net prior to the special regulation (ranging from 1.8 per net in 1970 trending down to 0.5 per net in 1991), it now averages 2.2 per net (ranging from 1.7 per net in 2000 to 2.6 per net in 2007).

Northern pike, while abundant, are still exhibiting normal growth rates. The average length is down slightly from that seen in the last few surveys, but there are still some large fish out there. While there are no special regulations in effect on northern pike in Farm Island, the lake association encourages anglers to harvest the smaller northern pike, while releasing fish greater than 24 inches in length.

For those anglers who are interested in catching panfish, Farm Island has abundant populations of black crappie and bluegill. There are two strong year classes of black crappie, the 2005 year class, which are 8 inches to 9 inches long, and the 2003 year class, which are about 11 inches long. There appears to have been very little changes to growth rates of either species in the last sixteen or more years. However, based on the trap net length frequency distribution and age distribution, it appears that most larger bluegill are being harvested before they have a chance to reach 8 inches, or age 7.

Anglers targeting largemouth bass will find a good population of fish with a wide range of sizes available.

Tullibee have been decreasing in abundance since the first survey nets were set in 1957; however, this was the first year that none were sampled in the assessment gill nets. Without tullibee in the fish community, it is feasible we will observe future decreases in growth rates for walleye and northern pike. ?

For more information on this lake, contact: Area Fisheries Supervisor PO Box 138 1200 Minnesota Ave S Aitkin, MN 56431 Phone: (218) 927-7503 Internet: Aitkin Fisheries E-Mail: Aitkin.Fisheries@state.mn.us	Lake maps can be obtained from: Minnesota Bookstore 660 Olive Street St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 297-3000 or (800) 657-3757 To order, use B0002 for the map-id.
For general DNR Information, contact: DNR Information Center 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 TDD: (651) 296-6157 or (888) MINNDNR Internet: www.dnr.state.mn.us E-Mail: info.dnr@state.mn.us	Turn in Poachers (TIP):     Toll-free: (800) 652-9093