Nelson

Beltrami County

Near Tenstrike

DOW: 04005700

Black CrappieExcellent · 100PumpkinseedExcellent · 97Yellow PerchExcellent · 89

A 31-acre lake near Tenstrike in Beltrami County — best known for panfish and pike. Last surveyed 1992.

Fish Species (8)

Black Crappie

Excellent · 100

Above-normal numbers

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.24 lbs

Catch rate: 14.0 per gill net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	14.00	-	0.24 lbs	Standard gill nets

Pumpkinseed

Excellent · 97

Above-normal numbers

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.22 lbs

Catch rate: 7.7 per trap net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	1.00	-	0.30 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jun 23, 1992	7.67	-	0.22 lbs	Standard trap nets

Yellow Perch

Excellent · 89

Above-normal numbers

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.20 lbs

Catch rate: 10.0 per gill net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	2.67	-	0.16 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jun 23, 1992	10.00	-	0.20 lbs	Standard gill nets

Bluegill

Excellent · 88

Above-normal numbers

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.22 lbs

Catch rate: 36.0 per trap net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	36.00	-	0.22 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jun 23, 1992	17.00	-	0.11 lbs	Standard gill nets

Northern Pike

Good · 70

Typical numbers

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

3.56 lbs

Catch rate: 9.0 per gill net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	9.00	-	3.56 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jun 23, 1992	0.33	-	1.90 lbs	Standard trap nets

Largemouth Bass

Insufficient

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.52 lbs

Catch rate: 4.3 per trap net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	4.33	-	0.52 lbs	Standard trap nets
Jun 23, 1992	1.00	-	0.10 lbs	Standard gill nets

Other species in this lake (2)

Rough fish, bullheads, and baitfish recorded in DNR surveys — present in the lake, but not typical angling targets.

Yellow Bullhead

Good · 73

Typical numbers

Trap-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.37 lbs

Catch rate: 2.0 per trap net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	2.00	-	0.55 lbs	Standard gill nets
Jun 23, 1992	2.00	-	0.37 lbs	Standard trap nets

Black Bullhead

Insufficient

Gill-net survey · surveyed Jun 1992

Last surveyed 1992 — treat with caution

Avg Weight

0.40 lbs

Catch rate: 1.0 per gill net

Survey History

Date	Catch Rate	Avg Length	Avg Weight	Gear
Jun 23, 1992	1.00	-	0.40 lbs	Standard gill nets

Biologist Notes

June 23, 1992GILL NET ABUNDANCE OF NOP WAS WITHIN THE FIRST AND THIRD QUARTILE RANGE FOR CLASS 28 LAKES WITH POUNDS PER LIFT AND WEIGHT PER FISH ABOVE THE THIRD QU…

GILL NET ABUNDANCE OF NOP WAS WITHIN THE FIRST AND THIRD QUARTILE RANGE FOR CLASS 28 LAKES WITH POUNDS PER LIFT AND WEIGHT PER FISH ABOVE THE THIRD QUARTILE FIGURES. PSD WAS 89 AND RSD-30 WAS 11. GROWTH RATE OF PIKE WAS ABOVE THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE FOR AGES I-V. ABUNDANCE AND POUNDS PER LIFT OF YEP WERE WITHIN THE FIRST-THIRD QUARTILE RANGES WITH THE WEIGHT PER FISH ABOUT EQUAL TO THE THIRD QUARTILE FIGURES. PSD WAS 40 AND NO PERCH WERE LONGER THAN 9.4 INCHES. TRAP NET ABUNDANCE OF YEB WAS WITHIN THE FIRST-THIRD QUARTILE RANGE, BUT POUNDS PER LIFT AND WEIGHT PER FISH WERE BELOW THE FIRST QUARTILE MARKS. ABUNDANCE AND POUNDS PER LIFT OF PMK WERE ABOVE THE THIRD QUARTILE FIGURES AND WEIGHT PER FISH WAS ABOUT EQUAL TO THE THIRD QUARTILE MARK. ABUNDANCE OF BLG APPROACHED THE THIRD QUARTILE MARK, WHILE POUNDS PER LIFT WAS HIGHER THAN THE THIRD QUARTILE. WEIGHT PER FISH WAS WITHIN THE FIRST- THIRD QUARTILE RANGE, PSD WAS 78 AND RSD-8 WAS 8. GROWTH RATE OF BLG WAS LOWER THAN THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE FOR AGES I-IV, BUT EQUAL TO THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE BY AGE V. ABUNDANCE AND POUNDS PER LIFT OF LMB WERE ABOVE THE THIRD QUARTILE MARKS, WHILE WEIGHT PER FISH WAS BETWEEN THE FIRST AND THIRD QUARTILES. PSD WAS 22 AND ONE 13 INCH AND ONE 14 INCH FISH WERE CAUGHT. CALCULATED GROWTH OF LMB WAS LOWER THAN THE STATEWIDE AVERAGES AT AGES I- II-III, BUT HIGHER AT AGE IV. NO BLC WERE COLLECTED IN THE TRAP NETS, BUT GILL NET INDICES WERE ABOVE THE THIRD QUARTILE MARKS FOR ABUNDANCE AND POUNDS PER LIFT. WEIGHT PER FISH WAS BELOW THE FIRST QUARTILE MARK. ONE CRAPPIE WAS OVER 10 INCHES. NO ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL REPRODUCTION WAS COMPLETED. FOUR YEAR CLASSES OF NOP, THREE FOR LMB AND FOUR FOR BLG WERE COLLECTED. BASED ON LENGTH FREQUENCIES, SEVERAL YEAR CLASSES OF PMK WERE PRESENT, POSSIBLY TWO FOR YEP AND PROBABLY THREE FOR BLC. THE FISH POPULATION OF NELSON LAKE APPEARS TO BE DOMINATED BY LARGRE THAN AVERAGE NOP AND CEN, WITH LMB, BLG, AND POSSIBLY BLC ABUNDANT ENOUGH AND LARGE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT A LIMITED FISHERY. BLH APPEAR TO BE LOW IN ABUNDANCE.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fish can you catch in Nelson?

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, and Northern Pike in Nelson. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Is there public access at Nelson?

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

How deep is Nelson?

Nelson has a maximum depth of 30 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

When were the main sport fish in Nelson last surveyed?

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Nelson is from 1992. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.