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| Nearest Town: SWANVILLE Primary County: Todd Survey Date: 08/16/2004 Inventory Number: 77-0022-00 |
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| Ownership | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Township | Concrete | TOWNSHIP OWNED ACCESS ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE LAKE. |
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Lake Area (acres): 86.00 |
Dominant Bottom Substrate: N/A |
| Did you know? Each year, the MinnAqua program teaches beginning anglers, primarily inner city youth, about fishing and aquatic biology. |
| Species | Number of fish per net | Average Fish Weight (lbs) |
Normal Range (lbs) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caught | |||||
| Bluegill | Gill net | 0.3 | N/A - N/A | 0.16 | N/A - N/A |
| Hybrid Sunfish | Gill net | 0.8 | N/A - N/A | 0.05 | N/A - N/A |
| Largemouth Bass | Gill net | 1.8 | 0.5 - 1.7 | 0.34 | 0.5 - 1.2 |
| Northern Pike | Gill net | 1.5 | 2.2 - 8.7 | 4.12 | 1.5 - 3.2 |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | Gill net | 4.3 | 1.3 - 10.4 | 0.49 | 0.3 - 1.0 |
| Walleye | Gill net | 1.8 | 1.0 - 5.0 | 5.52 | 1.2 - 3.0 |
| White Sucker | Gill net | 0.3 | 0.5 - 2.0 | 1.19 | 1.6 - 2.6 |
| Yellow Bullhead | Gill net | 1.5 | 1.0 - 6.0 | 0.71 | 0.4 - 0.7 |
| Yellow Perch | Gill net | 1.3 | 1.5 - 13.8 | 0.12 | 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 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Largemouth Bass | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Northern Pike | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Walleye | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Yellow Bullhead | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Yellow Perch | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| For the record, the largest Blue Sucker taken in Minnesota weighed 14 lbs., 3 oz. and was caught:
When: 2/28/87 Statistics: 30.4" length, 20.2" girth |
Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Ten Years
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,840 | 48.0 |
| 2007 | Walleye | yearlings | 252 | 84.0 |
| 2005 | Walleye | fingerlings | 488 | 61.0 |
| 2003 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,350 | 45.0 |
| 2001 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,848 | 42.0 |
| 2000 | Walleye | yearlings | 161 | 80.5 |
| 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. |
No fish consumption guidelines are available for this lake. For more information, see the "Fish Consumption Advice" pages at the Minnesota Department of Health.
Mons Lake is a small, deep 86 acre lake west of Swanville. The access has a concrete ramp with a small parking area and is maintained by the township. Water clarity was excellent for a lake in central Minnesota with a secchi disk reading of 13 feet. The lake is charaterized by shallow shoal waters with marl bottom and dense muskgrass growth in addition to some bulrush and waterlilies. Steep drop-offs are common around much of the lake. Fish species in the lake that may interest anglers include walleye, northern pike, and largemouth bass. The summer survey was conducted using only gillnets which tend to target gamefish. Northern pike numbers appear to have declined since the last survey and are at the lowest abundance since 1969. Average size of the pike seen in the survey was about 4 pounds. Walleye numbers were up slightly and the population appears to be dominated by bigger fish as most of the fish in the survey were over 20 inches in length. Largemouth bass continue to be abundant but the average size was small by anglers' standards at about 8 inches. Some trophy size bass up to 20 inches can be found in the lake but it could take some work to find them. Tullibee or cisco were netted for the first time in a summer survey since 1969 so the population appears to be increasing. Average size of the tullibees was about 11 inches which makes it about the right size for the larger gamefish in the lake. The downside to the higher numbers was the presence of the white grub or triaenophorus in the flesh of most of the fish. Yellow perch numbers continue to low in Mons Lake. Higher perch numbers are desired as they can be an important prey species for pike and walleye and they have also been found to help maintain a well-balanced bluegill population. Few bluegills and black crappies were seen in the summer survey but those species are better sampled using other methods. Past surveys recorded bluegills up to 7 inches but the average size was closer to 5 inches. Selective harvest of fish is encouraged for both angling and spearing to minimize the impact on the fish community. Releasing larger northern pike and walleye and voluntarily limiting harvest of larger panfish will help sustain the quality and balance of the fish community. Mons Lake has a small watershed that presently has good buffers around much of the lake that filter the water entering but human activity could easily affect the water quality. Lakeshore owners could help to protect the water quality by maintaining home septic systems, keeping shoreline buffer zones, limiting removal of inlake vegetation, and using zero phosphorus lawn fertilizers, thus slowing algae and excess weed growth. The Todd County Planning and Zoning office in Long Prairie also has a good website which provides information for shoreland property owners. (www.co.todd.mn.us/PlanningZoning/planning.htm)
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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
