Name: Portage

Nearest Town: Grand Marais Primary County: Cook

Survey Date: 06/02/2010 Inventory Number: 16032700

Public Access Information

Ownership	Type	Description
US Forest Service	Carry-In	100-rod trail to the south side of the lake, from Forest Road 1335.
US Forest Service	Portage	Portage trail from Iron Lake to the north side of the east end of the long bay on the north side of lake.

Lake Characteristics

Lake Area (acres): 128.11 Littoral Area (acres): 77 Maximum Depth (ft): 55 Water Clarity (ft): 9.5

Dominant Bottom Substrate: N/A Abundance of Aquatic Plants: N/A Maximum Depth of Plant Growth (ft): N/A

Fish Sampled for the 2010 Survey Year

Species	Gear Used	Number of fish per net		Average Fish Weight (lbs)	Normal Range (lbs)
		Caught	Normal Range
Splake	Gill net	3.00	N/A	0.45	N/A
White Sucker	Gill net	27.50	2.6 - 11.7	0.56	1.7 - 2.4

Length of Selected Species (Trapnet, Gillnet) Sampled for the 2010 Survey Year

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
splake	1	3	4	3	1	0	0	0	12
white sucker	0	14	60	27	6	0	0	0	110

Fish Stocking Activity

Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Ten Years

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.

Fish Consumption Guidelines

These fish consumption guidelines help people make choices about which fish to eat and how often. Following the guidelin es 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 that trigger advice 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 06/02/2010)

Splake abundance in Portage Lake in the spring of 2010 was apparently low, both for this lake historically, and when compared to other stream trout lakes in the area. The splake gill net catch in 2010 fell short of the long range goal (10.0 fish/set) in the 2009 lake management plan. The goal from that plan of providing two catchable-sized year classes (fish over 10 inches) was barely met. No splake older than three years were collected. Most of the one-year-old fish from a 2009 fingerling stocking were probably too small to be taken in the sampling gear used in this assessment. Growth for two- and three-year-old splake collected had been slower than average.

The white sucker gill net catch was well above the normal range for a lake of this class, and for a stream trout lake in this area. As high as the catch was, higher catches were observed in this lake in 2002 and 2005. Competition for invertebrate forage from this dense white sucker population is probably one factor limiting splake growth in this lake.

Temperature-oxygen conditions suitable for splake (temperature under 65 F, oxygen over 5 ppm) were found at depths of about six to 42 ft on 6/2/2010. Conditions generally deteriorate as the summer progresses and surface waters warm, but in Portage Lake suitable conditions for splake could still be found at depths of about 15 to 21 ft on 8/19/2010. It is unlikely that summer water quality is a limiting factor for splake in this lake, at this time.

For more information on this lake, contact: Area Fisheries Supervisor 1356 Hwy 61 E Grand Marais, MN 55604 Phone: (218) 387-3056 E-Mail: GrandMarais.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 C0326 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