North Tamarack

The north basin of Tamarack Lake is a 1,442-acre lake located approximately 12 miles northeast of Detroit Lakes. It lies entirely within the boundaries of the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge and is considered the headwaters of the Buffalo River. It is subject to occasional winterkill. The last severe winterkill occurred in 1997. Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, and bullheads survived the low dissolved oxygen levels that year. In the spring of 2023, dead fish were reported following ice out, which prompted a fisheries survey to be conducted in May 2023 to assess the severity of the winterkill. Dead fish of all species were observed while surveying. Trap nets captured Northern Pike, White Sucker, Yellow Perch, Brown Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, and Black Crappie. Yellow Perch were the most numerous. Northern Pike and Black Crappie were caught in good numbers with average lengths of 19 inches and nine inches, respectively. Unfortunately, North Tamarack Lake appears to have experienced a significant winterkill for Bluegill, Walleye, and Largemouth Bass during the 2022-2023 winter. As a result, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie were stocked during 2023. While angling opportunities for Northern Pike and Black Crappie are still available, it will take a few years to have quality fishing for other species.

The north basin of Tamarack Lake is a 1,442-acre lake located approximately 12 miles northeast of Detroit Lakes. It lies entirely within the boundaries of the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge and is considered the headwaters of the Buffalo River. Tamarack Lake is productive and subject to occasional winterkill. The last severe winterkill occurred in 1997. Oxygen levels dropped critically low during the late winter 2017/2018, but results from this survey made it clear that little to no winterkill occurred. The Walleye population in Tamarack Lake appears to be quite resilient in light of the severe and partial winterkills that have occurred over the past three decades. The average Walleye catch rate in 2018 was 7.8 fish per gill net, near the historical average of 9.3 fish per gill net. Sampled Walleyes had an average length of 18.1 inches, but fish up to 23 inches were also observed. Walleye grew fast, with fish averaging 16.3 inches in length in four years. For the first time since 1993, Northern Pike abundance was higher than average. Gill nets captured 10.8 pike per net in 2018, compared to the lake's historical average of 8.1 pike per net. Pike ranged from 9.8 to 25.0 inches in length, and averaged 18.5 inches. The trap net catch rate for Bluegills reached a new historical high of 21.6 fish per net. The previous benchmark was 12.4 fish per net, set in 1989. In 2018, Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.6 to 10.1 inches with an average length of 6.85 inches. Bluegill in Tamarack Lake grew fast, with fish exceeding 8.0 inches on average by five years of age. Similar to Bluegill, Black Crappie catch rates reached a new historical high of 4.3 fish per trap net in 2018. Crappies were 4.4 to 12.7 inches in length with an average of of 9.7 inches. Black Crappie averaged 9.9 inches in length at four years of age. Night time electrofishing found Largemouth Bass abundance to be moderately low at 19.0 fish per hour of shocking time. Bass had an average length of 13 inches, but fish up to 17 inches were found. Other fish species sampled were Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, Yellow Perch, and Black, Brown, and Yellow Bullheads. Anglers can maintain the quality fishery in Tamarack Lake by practicing selective harvest of medium-sized Bluegills and Black Crappies, while releasing the larger individuals.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting July 20, 2017. Eighteen sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lakeshore. Three sites were not accessible due to vast beds of wild rice and could not be relocated without overlapping or being in very close proximity to other sites. Therefore 15 sites were sampled and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 15 sites with seven sites sampled from the boat. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 5 sites, a 15-foot seine was used at 3 sites, and soft sediments with abundant emergent vegetation in deep water prevented the use of seines at an additional seven sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 14 native species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, and Iowa Darter) and no species that are tolerant of disturbance. Data from this targeted nearshore survey will be combined with trap net and gill net data from a 2018 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Buffalo River Watershed assessment of surface waters process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Bluegill, Walleye, Pumpkinseed, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie in North Tamarack. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

North Tamarack has a maximum depth of 17 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in North Tamarack is from 2018. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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