Field crews from the Grand Rapids area fisheries office will be busy conducting lake and stream surveys and assessments on a number of lakes and streams this summer. “The survey season really begins right after the ice goes out and some years lasts right up to freeze-up” said Chris Kavanaugh, Area Fisheries Supervisor.

The season began with ice-out trap netting for muskies on North Star Lake. Right after the ice goes out is prime time for muskies to begin cruising the shallows seeking out spawning areas. Standard summer netting samples relatively few muskies, the spring netting gives a much better picture of the status of the population. Muskie lakes are sampled about one in five years in the spring.

Just as spring gives a good picture of the muskie population it is also an ideal time to sample northern pike, as was done on Coon-Sandwick Lake to help evaluate a special regulation. “We generally sample many northern pike in summer netting,” said Kavanaugh, “but the spring netting usually produces more of the large pike and really helps us to understand the population.”

Bass are also a species that are not frequently sampled in standard summer netting so another sampling tool is used, electrofishing. Using a boat specifically designed to put an electrical charge into the water to temporarily stun the fish, fisheries crews move along the shoreline at night to sample both largemouth and smallmouth bass. This sampling is very weather dependent, it can’t be done in the rain or when it is windy which limits visibility. This sampling is done in late May to early June. Lakes to be sampled this year include; Deer (near Deer River), Big Island, Island (south of Hibbing), Beauty, North Star, Pokegama, Spider, Turtle, Wabana, Three Island, and Coon-Sandwick.

Bluegill will be sampled in Bass Lake as part of the evaluation of a special regulation. Deer, Battle and Pickerel (east of Effie) will also be sampled for bluegill to collect data for a proposed special regulation. This sampling is done when water temperatures reach about 65 degrees and has proven an effective method to sample the spawning population. This year we anticipate this sampling to begin immediately after Memorial Day.

The lake survey and assessments, using standard gill nets and trap nets, will begin on June 13. Typically, two lakes are sampled each week. The lakes and projected dates are as follows:

Nashwauk and Beauty, June 13; Johnson (off Highway 38) and Stingy, June 20; Bear and Crooked, June 27; Gate, July 5; Wabana and Coon-Sandwick, July 11; Big Island and Bass, July 18; Deer and Pokegama, July 25; Spider and Swan, August 1; Turtle and Sand (St. Louis County), August 8; Island (south of Hibbing) and Canisteo, August 15; North Star and Little North Star, August 22; Alice and Little Wabana, August 29. A trout assessment will be done on Tioga and Camp 4 sometime in October. Lake Winnibigoshish is sampled every year, beginning in the last week of June and extending through the second week in August.

In the fall several lakes will be sampled for walleye young of the year using electrofishing. At this time we anticipate doing Sand, Bowstring, Jessie, Round, Island and Swan.

Streams to be surveyed this year include Smith, Tributary to Smith and the St. Louis River.

This winter the field data will be analyzed and compiled in a report and form the basis for an updated lake management plan for each of the lakes or streams. For more information, contact the Grand Rapids area fisheries office,1201 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 or call (218) 327-4430