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| Nearest Town: Ely Primary County: St. Louis Survey Date: 07/31/2006 Inventory Number: 69008000 |
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| Ownership | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| US Forest Service | Carry-In | |
| US Forest Service | Gravel |
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Lake Area (acres): 182.2 |
Dominant Bottom Substrate: N/A |
| Did you know? There are 15,000 miles of fishable streams in Minnesota, including 2,600 miles of trout streams. |
| Species | Number of fish per net | Average Fish Weight (lbs) |
Normal Range (lbs) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caught | |||||
| Bluegill | Trap net | 6.44 | 4.3 - 34.3 | 0.27 | 0.1 - 0.2 |
| Largemouth Bass | Trap net | 1.78 | 0.3 - 1.5 | 0.36 | 0.2 - 0.6 |
| Northern Pike | Trap net | 0.89 | N/A | 3.05 | N/A |
| Gill net | 2.33 | 1.3 - 5.3 | 1.85 | 1.6 - 3.1 | |
| Rock Bass | Trap net | 0.22 | 0.5 - 2.8 | 0.11 | 0.2 - 0.4 |
| Shorthead Redhorse | Trap net | 0.11 | N/A | 4.10 | N/A |
| Smallmouth Bass | Trap net | 0.33 | 0.1 - 1.3 | 0.53 | 0.1 - 0.4 |
| Walleye | Trap net | 0.56 | 0.3 - 1.1 | 1.05 | 0.9 - 2.7 |
| Gill net | 1.67 | 0.8 - 3.8 | 0.28 | 1.1 - 2.3 | |
| White Sucker | Trap net | 0.22 | 0.3 - 2.7 | 2.24 | 1.7 - 3.2 |
| Gill net | 3.67 | 1.2 - 4.9 | 2.25 | 1.6 - 2.4 | |
| Yellow Perch | Trap net | 1.22 | 0.3 - 1.5 | 0.08 | 0.1 - 0.2 |
| Gill net | 8.67 | 0.5 - 7.0 | 0.11 | 0.1 - 0.2 | |
| Species | Number of fish caught in each category (inches) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | 6-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-19 | 20-24 | 25-29 | 30+ | Total | |
| bluegill | 15 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 |
| largemouth bass | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| northern pike | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 22 |
| rock bass | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| shorthead redhorse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| smallmouth bass | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| walleye | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| white sucker | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| yellow perch | 21 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 |
| For the record, the largest Yellow Perch taken in Minnesota weighed 3 lbs., 4 oz. and was caught:
When: 1945 |
Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Ten Years
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Walleye | fry | 90,000 | 0.9 |
| 2007 | Walleye | fry | 90,000 | 0.9 |
| 2005 | Walleye | fry | 90,000 | 0.9 |
| 2003 | Walleye | fry | 90,000 | 0.9 |
| 2001 | Walleye | fry | 90,000 | 0.9 |
| Privately Stocked Fish |
|---|
| * indicates privately stocked fish. Private stocking includes fish purchased by the DNR for stocking and fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. |
| Stocking Fish Sizes |
|---|
| Fry - Newly hatched fish that are ready to be stocked usually called "swim-ups". Walleye fry are 1/3 of an inch or around 8 mm. |
| Fingerling - Fingerlings are one to six months old and can range from a size of one to twelve inches depending on the species. Walleye fingerlings range from three to eight inches each fall. |
| Yearling - Yearling fish are at least one year old. A one-year-old fish can range from three to twenty inches depending on the species. Walleye yearlings average from six to twelve inches. |
| Adult - Adult fish are fish that have reached maturity. Depending on the species, maturity can be reached at two years of age. Walleye reach maturity between the ages of four and six years. |
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
| LAKE NAME County, DOWID |
Species | Meal Advice | Contaminants | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | 1 meal/week | 1 meal/month | Do not eat | |||
| NELS St. Louis Co., 69008000 |
Bluegill Sunfish | All sizes | Mercury | |||
| Northern Pike | shorter than 24" | 24" or longer | Mercury | |||
| Walleye | shorter than 19" | 19" or longer | Mercury | |||
General Population
| LAKE NAME County, DOWID |
Species | Meal Advice | Contaminants | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | 1 meal/week | 1 meal/month | Do not eat | |||
| NELS St. Louis Co., 69008000 |
Bluegill Sunfish | All sizes | Mercury | |||
| Northern Pike | shorter than 18" | 18" or longer | Mercury | |||
| Walleye | shorter than 15" | 15" or longer | Mercury | |||
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
Nels Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 10, which consists of 76 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Nels Lake is typical of lakes in this lake class except that it has a more irregular shoreline shape.
Nels Lake has a large, shallow (15 feet) western bay that partially stratifies and retains adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) to a depth of about 10 feet. The smaller, deeper (30 feet) eastern bay was stratified on 7/31/2006 with a surface temperature of 75 F and a bottom temperature of 45 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was retained to a depth of 14 feet, where the temperature was 59 F.
The inlet to Nels Lake is from Hegman Lake and the outlet is to Picket Lake. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Nels Lake are ledgerock, boulder, and rubble, interspersed with sand or muck. Water shield and floatingleaf burreed are the most common aquatic plants.
Fish were sampled in 2006 with six gillnets and nine trapnets. Nine previous investigations, dating back to 1969, used 2-6 gillnets. Three of these previous investigations used 4-9 trapnets. Small mesh (1/4 inch bar mesh) trapnets were used in 1996 to sample small fish.
Fish populations in 2006 were dominated by northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill sunfish, white sucker, yellow perch, and walleye.
Northern pike numbers in 2006 (2.3/gillnet) were somewhat lower than normal (in the second quartile) for this lake class, but were higher than the median pike catch of 1.2/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Pike sizes in 2006 averaged 20.1 inches (1.8 lb), which was somewhat smaller than normal (in the second quartile) for this lake class, but was larger than the average pike size of 18.7 inches in all investigations on this lake. The largest pike in 2006 (caught in a trapnet) was 36.8 inches. Most pike captured in 2006 were ages four and five. Pike growth was slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.
No largemouth bass were caught in the gillnets in 2006, but largemouth numbers in the trapnets (1.8/net) were higher than normal (in the fourth quartile) for this lake class. Most of the largemouth captured in 2006 were small (5-10 inches), but one large (16.5 inches) largemouth was caught. All but three of the largemouth captured in 2006 were age one. Largemouth growth was normal by area standards.
Bluegill numbers in 2006 (6.4/trapnet) were somewhat lower than normal (in the second quartile) for this lake class, but were higher than the median bluegill catch of 0.2/trapnet in all investigations on this lake. Bluegill sizes in 2006 averaged 6.7 inches (0.27 lb), which was larger than normal (in the fourth quartile) for this lake class. The largest bluegill captured in 2006 was 8.8 inches. Most of the bluegill captured in 2006 were ages three and five. Bluegill growth was normal by area standards.
Smallmouth bass were first captured in Nels Lake in the 1989 investigation. A few smallmouth, ranging in size from 6 to 13 inches were caught in the trapnets in 2006.
Sucker numbers in 2006 (3.7/gillnet) were somewhat higher than normal (in the third quartile) for this lake class, but were lower than the median sucker catch of 5.0/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Sucker sizes in 2006 averaged 16.8 inches (2.2 lb), which was somewhat larger than normal (in the third quartile) for this lake class, but was smaller than the average size of 15.7 inches in all investigations on this lake.
Perch numbers in 2006 (8.7/gillnet) were higher than normal (in the fourth quartile) for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 5.2/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Perch sizes in 2006 averaged 6.4 inches (0.11 lb), which was somewhat smaller than normal (in the second quartile) for this lake class, but was similar to the average size of 6.6 inches in all investigations on this lake. The largest perch captured in 2006 was 7.8 inches. Most of the perch captured in 2006 were ages 3-5. Perch growth was slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.
Nels Lake has been stocked periodically with walleye since 1929 and walleye were present in the initial fisheries investigation in 1969. Since 1979, walleye fry have been stocked every-other-year. Walleye numbers in 2006 (1.7/gillnet) were somewhat lower than normal (in the second quartile) for this lake class and were lower than the median walleye catch of 3.3/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Walleye sizes in 2006 averaged 9.1 inches (0.3 lb), which was smaller than normal (in the first quartile) for this lake class and was smaller than the average size of 12.4 inches in all investigations on this lake. The largest walleye in 2006, caught in a trapnet, was 22.8 inches. Most of the walleye captured in 2006 were age 1, from the 2005 year-class. Nels Lake was stocked with walleye fry in 2005. Walleye growth was slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.
Many of the game fish examined in 2006 were infected with neascus (black spot). One of the largemouth bass had bass tapeworm larvae in its viscera. Neascus and bass tapeworm are common parasites that are native to the area. They cannot infect people, are often removed by filleting fish, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.?
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For more information on this lake, contact:
Area Fisheries Supervisor | Lake maps can be obtained from: Minnesota Bookstore |
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 |
© 2010
MN Department of Natural Resources
