Lake information report

Name: Vermilion

Nearest Town: Tower Primary County: St. Louis Survey Date: 06/09/2008 Inventory Number: 69037800

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Public Access Information

Fishing Regulations:

Lake Characteristics

Fish Sampled for the 2008 Survey Year

Length of Selected Species (Trapnet, Gillnet) Sampled for the 2008 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 06/09/2008)

Lake Vermilion is part of the statewide Large Lake Program, an intensive fisheries management program on the 10 largest lakes in Minnesota. The Large Lake Program includes annual population assessments, annual water quality monitoring, and regularly scheduled creel surveys. A variety of sampling gear is used during population assessments to collect the various fish species and life stages. These gear types include gill nets, trap nets, beach seines, and an electrofishing boat. Sampling for each gear type is conducted at the same time and place each year in order to determine population trends for the major species. Data is also collected on length, weight, age, and growth for each of the major species.

The walleye gill net catch in 2008 was 12.9 fish/net, slightly below the historical average and the lowest walleye catch on Lake Vermilion in several years. The relatively low walleye catch was due primarily to poor reproduction in 2004 and 2005. Gillnetted walleye had a mean length of 13.3 inches, slightly above the historical average. The gill net catch of 12-15 inch walleye was well below average for those size classes, reflecting poor reproduction in 2004 and 2005. The catch of small walleye was above average, indicating the presence of strong younger year classes in the population. The gill net catch of walleye over 17 inches was also above average, especially on West Vermilion. These larger walleye are from strong year classes produced in 2002 and 2003. The walleye gill net catch was dominated by age 1 fish (2007 year class) and age 2 fish (2006 year class), which comprised 20.9% and 35.5% of the catch, respectively. Both the 2006 and 2007 year classes appear to be moderately strong. Strong year classes of walleye were also produced in 2002 and 2003, while poor year classes were produced in 2004 and 2005. A special walleye regulation went into effect on Lake Vermilion in 2006; a 17-26 inch protected slot with one fish allowed over 26 inches, and a four fish bag limit. A more restrictive regulation was adopted because of increased fishing pressure and walleye harvest. The regulation will help keep harvest at a safe level while allowing anglers to keep eating sized walleye.

The gill net catch of northern pike was 0.8 fish/net, slightly below the historical average. Gill net catches of northern pike have historically been fairly stable at a relatively low level. The mean length of northern pike sampled by gill nets was 26.7 inches, slightly above the historical average, although the sample size was only 15 fish. Reproduction of northern pike is usually fairly consistent from year to year, although it appears a relatively poor year class was produced in 2003. A special regulation for northern pike went into effect on Lake Vermilion in 2003; a 24-36 inch protected slot, with one fish allowed over 36 inches. This regulation is part of a statewide initiative to improve the size structure of pike populations in a number of lakes across the state.

The gill net catch of yellow perch was 13.9 fish/net, the lowest perch catch since large lake sampling began in 1984. The low perch catch was due primarily to poor reproduction in 2004. Gillnetted perch had a mean length of 7.8 inches, well above the historical average. The large average size reflects low numbers of small perch in the gill net catch. The perch catch was dominated by age 3 fish (2005 year class), which comprised 36.6% of the catch. Strong year classes of perch were produced in 2001 and 2002, while a poor year class was produced in 2004.

The trap net catch of bluegill was 44.5 fish/net, well above the historical average. The bluegill catch was much higher on West Vermilion than East Vermilion, reflecting higher bluegill abundance in that lake basin. Trapnetted bluegill had a mean length of 5.8 inches, well below the historical average. The small average size was due to high numbers of small fish in the catch from strong 2005 and 2006 year classes. The bluegill trap net catch was dominated by age 3 fish (2005 year class), which comprised 37.4% of the catch. Strong year classes of bluegill were produced in 2002, 2005, and 2006, while a poor year class was produced in 2004.

The black crappie trap net catch was 1.4 fish/net, slightly below the historical average. Crappie numbers have historically been relatively low on Lake Vermilion, although some areas of West Vermilion have higher numbers of fish. Trapnetted crappie had a mean length of 8.0 inches, slightly below the historical average. Above average numbers of small crappie were sampled from a strong year class produced in 2006. The catch of 8-9 inch crappie was also above average, reflecting the presence of a strong 2005 year class. The crappie catch was dominated by age 3 fish (2005 year class), which comprised 67.5% of the catch. Strong year classes of crappie were produced in 2001, 2005, and 2006, while a poor year class was produced in 2004.

An electrofishing boat is used as the standard sampling gear for smallmouth bass because they are not often caught in standard assessment nets. The smallmouth bass electrofishing catch in 2008 was 54.3 fish/hour, well above the historical average and the second consecutive year of unusually high bass catches. Smallmouth bass sampled by electrofishing had a mean length of 9.9 inches, slightly above the historical average. High numbers of 12-13 inch bass were sampled from strong year classes produced in 2002 and 2003. The bass catch was dominated by age 2 fish (2006 year class) and age 3 fish (2005 year class), which together comprised 56.5% of the total catch. It appears both the 2005 and 2006 year classes will be much stronger than average. Moderately strong year classes of smallmouth bass were also produced in 2001, 2002, and 2003, while a poor year class was produced in 2004.

An electrofishing boat is used to sample young-of-the-year walleye in the fall to monitor reproductive success for the year. The fall electrofishing catch of young-of-the-year walleye was 130.3 fish/hour, slightly above the historical average. The mean length of young-of-the-year walleye sampled by electrofishing was 4.9 inches, slightly below the historical average. Growth of young-of-the-year walleye has proven to be a useful indicator of eventual year class strength. Past sampling has shown that large, fast growing young-of-the-year walleye generally produce strong year classes, while small slow growing fish produce poor year classes. Taken together, the 2008 electrofishing catch and growth rate indicate the 2008 year class will be slightly weaker than average.

Muskie population assessments have been done once every four years on Lake Vermilion, although future assessments will be done once every six years. East Vermilion and West Vermilion are done in different years due to the large size of the lake. Trap net catches of muskie have been gradually increasing since the first assessments were done in 1993 and 1994. The number of large fish has also been increasing. Over 15% of the muskie sampled in 2005 and 2006 were over 50 inches long. The largest muskie sampled during the 2005-2006 assessments was 54.7 inches long. The next muskie assessments are scheduled for 2010 and 2011.

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For more information on this lake, contact: Area Fisheries Supervisor 650 Hwy 169 Tower, MN 55790 Phone: (218) 753-2580 Internet: Tower Fisheries E-Mail: Tower.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 B0272 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