Ice Cracking

Ice Cracking Lake is a 331 acre lake located in northeastern Becker County along the east edge of the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. There is no public access but there is a resort/campground with a privately owned access on the east end of the lake. The lake lies within the boundaries of the White Earth Indian Reservation and the band's biology department is located near the south shore.There is a good mix of fish species present, ranging from coldwater fish like tullibee (cisco) to warmwater fish like brown and yellow bullhead. Popular gamefish species include northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, yellow perch, and walleye.Walleye spawning habitat is minimal in this lake and maintaining a fishery requires stocking. The White Earth Biology Department stocks walleye fingerlings regularly. Walleye sampled in 2004 averaged 17.9 inches and 2.3 pounds and gill net catch rates were within the normal range for similar lakes and near the upper end of the historic range for this lake.Northern pike have the potential to grow large in Ice Cracking. The presence of tullibee indicates that there is good dissolved oxygen in the cooler depths of the lake during the heat of summer. Cool, well-oxygenated water is generally regarded as a requirement for pike to grow large. They also have to be allowed to grow big before they are harvested. Pike sampled in test nets averaged 20.7 inches in length and 2.0 pounds. Lengths ranged from 16.2 to 30.9 inches.Crappies also have the potential to grow relatively large in this lake. They were not particularly abundant, but black crappies averaged 11.0 inches and 0.8 pounds each during the 2004 lake survey.Bluegills are present in normal numbers, but the average size of sunfish has steadily declined since the initial lake survey in 1947 when they averaged 8.9 inches. In 2004, bluegills in Ice Cracking Lake averaged 5.0 inches.Anglers are encouraged to release medium and large fish and harvest smaller fish for eating. This not only helps to ensure that spawning age fish are present to sustain the fishery, but also better balances populations and provides more opportunities to catch big fish.

Ice Cracking Lake has a mixed gamefish/panfish fishery similar to many Minnesota lakes. The most recent test net catches (1995) in Ice Cracking were slightly higher than normal for northern pike and largemouth bass, compared to ecologically similar lakes. Walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, black crappie, tullibee, and yellow bullhead were present in "normal" numbers. Brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, and white sucker were also sampled in test nets.Ice Cracking is known to occasionally produce large walleye, northern pike, or black crappie. The presence of a tullibee (cisco) population is an indicator that there is good dissolved oxygen in the cooler depths of the lake. Cool, oxygenated water is also a requirement to consistently grow large pike.Spawning habitat for walleye is rare in Ice Cracking. Consequently, most of the lake's current walleye population is believed to be from stocked fish. However, annual walleye fingerling stocking by the White Earth Biology Department since 1984 makes it impossible to say for sure if the walleyes are the result of stocking or natural reproduction.It is interesting to note that the first DNR Fisheries lake survey was done in 1947. That study was the result of several complaints from anglers that walleye fishing had "gone to heck" because of the large number of bullheads and the lack of walleyes. That first report showed very small numbers of bullheads and higher than normal numbers of walleye in Ice Cracking. Despite low numbers of yellow perch, anglers just were not catching walleye that year.Fifty years later, Ice Cracking Lake has not changed a great deal. Shoreline development has approximately doubled, there are probably a few more northern pike, and bluegills are smaller than they were in 1947. However, the lake remains basically the same with a mixed fishery of northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, and panfish.

The gillnet catch of northern pike, although down slightly from the 1984 survey, remains well above the local median. Yellow perch have declined even further from the low level recorded in 1984 they are now nearly absent from gillnets. Predation from the abundant northern pike population has probably caused the yellow perch decline. Tullibees are likely serving as a secondary forage base and maintaing the good growth rate exhbited by northern pike. The walleye gillnet catch is up somewhat from 1984 but is still well below the local median. It is suspected that both walleyes and tullibees regularly suspend off-shore during the summer months in Ice Cracking Lake, and that standard gillnet sets do not adequately sample these populations.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Walleye, Hybrid Sunfish, Rock Bass, and Northern Pike in Ice Cracking. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Ice Cracking. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Ice Cracking has a maximum depth of 73 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Ice Cracking is from 2004. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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