Lower Trelipe

Lower Trelipe Lake is a 618-acre lake with 6.63 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 32 feet located east of Longville, MN. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned public access is located on the east shore. The MNDNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Lower Trelipe Lake is in Lake Class 31; lakes in this class are characterized as generally clear and productive. Other area lakes in this class include Bowen, Child, and Five Point Lakes. The lake is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye, and secondarily for Black Crappie, Bluegill, Tullibee (Cisco), and Yellow Perch. A daily limit of five Sunfish went into effect on Lower Trelipe in 2022. Lower Trelipe Lake provides multi-species angling opportunity with the potential for both quantity and quality size fish. Largemouth Bass up to 17 inches were sampled. Northern Pike are abundant, exceeding the lake's maximum management goal. Sampled pike ranged from 11 to 33 inches and averaged 19 inches long. Walleye abundance in the lake is low and lengths ranged from 8 to 22 inches. Black Crappie catch rates exceeded lake management catch goals and crappie 4 to 13 inches were sampled. Bluegill catch rates fell within the target management range and exceeded size goals with roughly half of sampled fish measuring 6 inches or longer and fish up to 10 inches sampled. Tullibee (Cisco) and Yellow Perch abundance has remained low since the early 2000's. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter in Lower Trelipe Lake include Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Currently, no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Lower Trelipe Lake. AIS are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species of Lower Trelipe Lake (DOW# 11-0129; Lake Class 31) was conducted July 1, 2019 by Walker Area Fisheries Staff to aid in determining the Fish-based IBI (FIBI). Fourteen 100-foot sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake shore, sampling a variety of habitat types. Two sampling sites located in the southeast bay were not sampled due to exceptionally dense vegetation that made navigation to those sites impractical. Each site was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot 1/8th-inch mesh seine, depending on habitat conditions. Sites where habitat conditions did not allow for seining were backpack electrofished unless conditions proved difficult for walking. These sites were backpack shocked from the boat. Nearshore sampling captured 16 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass). The nearshore data was combined with data collected during a gill net and trap net survey conducted the week of September 3, 2019 to calculate a FIBI score for the lake. The FIBI Tool-4 was used for scoring and resulted in an FIBI score of 44, which is above the impairment threshold (38) and below the exceptional threshold (59) for this tool. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Leech Lake River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Lower Trelipe Lake (DOW# 11-0129; lake class 31) is a 618-acre lake with 6.63 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 32 feet located East of Longville, MN. There is a MNDNR owned public access on the west shore. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Lower Trelipe Lake is in lake class 31; lakes in this class are generally clear, productive, and have moderate depth. Other class 31 lakes include; Bowen, Child, and Five Point Lakes. The lake is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye. Black Crappie Bluegill, Tullibee (Cisco), and Yellow Perch are secondary management species. Largemouth Bass provide angling opportunities for both quantity and quality fish. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 11 to 20 inches with an average length of 14 inches. Northern Pike are very abundant and ranged in length from 15 to 32 inches with an average length of 20 inches. The Walleye population is generally moderate although the 2019 survey numbers were below the management goal of four fish per gillnet despite even-year stocking of fingerlings. Walleye ranged in length from 11 to 26 inches with an average length of 18 inches. Seven consecutive year-classes were represented in the age class distribution with the 2014 year-class comprising 36 percent of the catch. Black Crappie and Bluegill are abundant and offer quality sizes of both species. Black Crappie ranged in length from 5 to 12 inches and Bluegill ranged in length from 3 to 10 inches. Other fish species sampled include, Hybrid Sunfish, Yellow Perch, and Rock Bass. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Currently, no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Lower Trelipe Lake. AIS are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

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

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

Lower Trelipe has a maximum depth of 32 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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