Taylor

Taylor Lake is a designated stream trout lake located in northern Aitkin County. It is a small, deep lake with clear water and provides a unique opportunity for the Aitkin area. Much of the shoreline is publicly owned, with a carry-in only public access located on the northeast corner of the lake. Taylor Lake was originally a bass-panfish lake that was intentionally converted to a stream trout lake in 1960. The initial trout stocking occurred in 1961, and consisted of Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout. From 1962 to 1984, Taylor Lake was managed solely for Rainbow Trout with annual stocking of fall fingerlings. Since 1985, Taylor Lake has also received an annual spring stocking of yearling Brook Trout, as well as the fall Rainbow Trout fingerlings. Angling pressure remains moderate on Taylor Lake, although has increased somewhat with the opening of winter fishing in 2009. Recently, management was modified slightly with the addition of stocking additional catchable size trout in late fall. While most of the fish are harvested in their first season, some fish survive to provide a trophy element to the fishery. Additionally, surplus adult fish of each species may also be stocked when available from the hatchery system. Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout cannot reproduce successfully in Taylor Lake and therefore it is managed as a put-grow-and-take fishery. Anglers who fish Taylor Lake are bound to the statewide stream trout seasons and limits and to limitations placed on designated stream trout lakes. Currently anglers may keep 5 trout combined, not more than 3 may be longer than 16 inches. Releasing larger trout will increase the chances for catching larger trout through recycling. The population assessment, conducted in 2023, revealed Brook Trout ranging in length from 8.1 to 13.9 inches, indicating some Brook Trout stocked in spring survive through the summer and occasionally multiple years. With a trap net catch rate of 4.3 per net (highest since 1989), Brook Trout densities appear to have increased from previous surveys. Rainbow Trout stocking has also proven to be successful in Taylor Lake. Rainbow Trout, sampled in 2023, ranged between 8.4 and 15 inches, with 25% of the sample larger than 12 inches in length. Rainbow Trout catch rates were consistent with the previous survey at about 5.6 per trap net and remained above the long-term average of 2.7 per trap net. The abundance and size structure of Taylor Lake trout are indications that both fall stocked fingerling rainbow and spring stocked yearling Brook Trout are surviving over the summer and contributing to the fall and winter fisheries. Adult Tullibee were stocked into Taylor Lake in 1977, as part of a research project designed to reduce avian predation of stocked trout by adding alternate forage for avian predators. Tullibee successfully adapted to Taylor, continue to reproduce, and offer alternate forage for larger trout. Similar to previous investigations, 3 Tullibee were caught in 2023, indicating that the population is still maintaining itself at a low level.

Taylor Lake is a designated stream trout lake located in northern Aitkin County. It is a small, deep lake with clear water and provides a unique opportunity for the Aitkin area. Much of the shoreline is publicly owned, with a carry-in only public access located on the northeast corner of the lake. Taylor Lake was originally a bass-panfish lake that was intentionally converted to a stream trout lake in 1960. The initial trout stocking occurred in 1961and consisted of brook trout and rainbow trout. From 1962 to 1984, Taylor Lake was managed solely for rainbow trout with annual stocking of fall fingerlings. In addition, since 1985, Taylor Lake has also received an annual spring stocking of yearling brook trout as well as additional spring rainbow trout yearlings. Angling pressure remains moderate on Taylor Lake, although has increased somewhat with the opening of winter fishing in 2009. While most of the fish are harvested in their first season, some fish survive to provide a trophy element to the fishery. Additionally, surplus adult fish of each species may also be stocked when available from the hatchery system. The population assessment conducted in 2017 revealed brook trout ranging in length from 6.8 to 16.5 inches, indicating some brook trout stocked in spring survive through the summer and occasionally multiple years. Rainbow trout stocking has also proven to be successful in Taylor Lake. Rainbow trout sampled in 2017 ranged between 10.2 and 20.3 inches, with 56% of the sample larger than 12 inches in length. The abundance and size structure of Taylor Lake trout are indications that both fall stocked fingerling and spring stocked yearling rainbow and brook trout are surviving over the summer and contributing to the fall and winter fisheries. Brook trout and rainbow trout cannot reproduce successfully in Taylor Lake and therefore it is managed as a put-grow-and-take fishery. Anglers who fish Taylor Lake are bound to the statewide stream trout seasons and limits and to limitations placed on designated stream trout lakes. Currently anglers may keep 5 trout combined, not more than 3 may be longer than 16 inches. Releasing larger trout will increase the chances for catching larger trout through recycling. Adult tullibee were stocked into Taylor Lake in 1977 as part of a research project. Tullibee successfully adapted to Taylor, continue to reproduce, and offer alternate forage for larger trout. Similar to previous investigations, a tullibee was caught in 2017 indicating that the population is still maintaining itself at a low level.

Taylor Lake is a designated stream trout lake located in northern Aitkin County. It is a small, deep lake with very clear water and provides a unique opportunity for the Aitkin area. Much of the shoreline is publicly owned, with a carry-in only public access located on the northeast corner of the lake. Taylor Lake was originally a bass-panfish lake that was intentionally converted to a stream trout lake in 1960. The initial trout stocking occurred in 1961and consisted of brook trout and rainbow trout. From 1962 to 1984, Taylor Lake was managed solely for rainbow trout with annual stocking of fall fingerlings. In addition, since 1985 Taylor Lake has also received an annual spring stocking of yearling brook trout as well as additional spring rainbow trout yearling stocking. Angling pressure remains moderate on Taylor Lake, although has increased somewhat with the opening of winter fishing in 2009. While most of the fish are harvested in their first season, some fish survive to provide a trophy element to the fishery. The population assessment conducted in 2014 revealed brook trout ranging in length from 8.5 to 14.8" indicating some brook trout stocked in spring survive through the summer and occasionally multiple years. Rainbow trout stocking has also proven to be successful in Taylor Lake. Rainbow trout sampled in 2014 ranged between 11.4 to 22.8", with 75% of the sample between 12 and 14" in length. The size structure of Taylor Lake trout is an indication that both fall stocked fingerling and spring stocked yearling rainbow trout are surviving over the summer and contributing to the fall and winter fisheries. Brook trout and rainbow trout cannot reproduce successfully in Taylor Lake and therefore is managed as a put-grow-and-take fishery. Anglers who fish Taylor Lake are bound to the statewide stream trout seasons and limits and to limitations placed on designated stream trout lakes. Currently anglers may keep 5 trout combined, not more than 3 may be longer than 16". Adult tullibee were stocked into Taylor Lake in 1977 as part of a research project. Tullibee successfully adapted to Taylor, continue to reproduce, and offer alternate forage for larger trout. Similar to previous investigations, four tullibee were caught in 2011 indicating that the population is still maintaining itself at a low level.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout in Taylor. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Taylor. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Taylor has a maximum depth of 84 feet and a mean depth of 23 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Taylor is from 2023.

No invasive species are on record for Taylor in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.