Three Island

Three Island is a 288-acre lake with 7 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 13 feet located east of Walker, MN. A US Forest Service owned public access is located on the north shore. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Three Island Lake is in Lake Class 37. Lake Class 37 lakes are small, shallow, eutrophic lakes. Other area lakes in this class include Cedar, Horseshoe, Jackpine, Little Woman and Twenty-Six. Most of shoreline on Three Island Lake is publicly owned and undeveloped. The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie, Bluegill, Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass and secondarily for Yellow Perch. Low dissolved oxygen observations in Three Island Lake during some winters suggests the potential for winterkill to occur. No fish kill has been confirmed at ice out and surviving fish have responded with strong reproduction, indicating if a kill is occurring it is partial. Three Island Lake is a multi-species lake that offers fishing in a wild scenic setting. Black Crappie were abundant with fish from 4 to 13 inches sampled. Management goals are still being developed for this species. Bluegill were caught in moderate numbers not meeting the management goal with fish from 3 to 8 inches sampled. Northern Pike were very abundant and were caught in numbers above the management goals set for this lake with fish from 9 to 27 inches sampled, however size goals for Northern Pike were met. Yellow Perch caught in low numbers not meeting the management goal. Yellow Perch were sampled from 5 to 9 inches. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter include, Hybrid Sunfish and Pumpkinseed. 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 Three Island 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. Three Island is a 288-acre lake with 7 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 13 feet located east of Walker, MN. A US Forest Service owned public access is located on the north shore. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Three Island Lake is in Lake Class 37. Lake Class 37 lakes are small, shallow, eutrophic lakes. Other area lakes in this class include Cedar, Horseshoe, Jackpine, Little Woman and Twenty-Six. Most of shoreline on Three Island Lake is publicly owned and undeveloped. The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie, Bluegill, Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass and secondarily for Yellow Perch. Low dissolved oxygen observations in Three Island Lake during some winters suggests the potential for winterkill to occur. No fish kill has been confirmed at ice out and surviving fish have responded with strong reproduction, indicating if a kill is occurring it is partial. Three Island Lake is a multi-species lake that offers fishing in a wild scenic setting. Black Crappie were abundant with fish from 4 to 13 inches sampled. Management goals are still being developed for this species. Bluegill were caught in moderate numbers not meeting the management goal with fish from 3 to 8 inches sampled. Northern Pike were very abundant and were caught in numbers above the management goals set for this lake with fish from 9 to 27 inches sampled, however size goals for Northern Pike were met. Yellow Perch caught in low numbers not meeting the management goal. Yellow Perch were sampled from 5 to 9 inches. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter include, Hybrid Sunfish and Pumpkinseed. 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 Three Island 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.

Three Island Lake is a 173-acre lake located near Longville, MN. The lake has 7.52 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 13 feet. Ninety percent of the shoreline is undeveloped woodland, 5% is cropland or pasture, and 5% is bog. A U. S. Forest Service-owned public access is located on the northeast side of the lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) has classified Minnesotas lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Three Island Lake is in Lake Class 37. Class 37 lakes are small, shallow, eutrophic lakes best suited for bass and panfish. Three Island Lake offers good opportunities for anglers seeking northern pike, largemouth bass, and bluegill in a pristine setting where most of the shoreline is public land. Northern pike are abundant, but generally run small. Average size was 19.82 inches and 1.74 pounds, with the largest northern pike sampled measuring 29.1 inches in length and 5.3 pounds. Most of the largemouth bass sampled were small, with an average length of 10.7 inches, however fish up to 17.9 inches in length are present. Bluegill are abundant, but generally small. The average length of bluegill sampled from all gear was 5.2 inches. Fish over 8 inches in length are uncommon. Black crappie numbers are near average for this lake class. The average length of sampled fish from all gear was 8.0 inches and lengths ranged from 4.2 to 12.6 inches. Other species available to anglers are yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Anglers can help maintain or improve the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest allows for the harvest of smaller fish for table fare, but encourages release of medium- to large-sized fish. Releasing these fish can help maintain balance in the fish community in Three Island Lake and provide anglers the opportunity to catch more and larger fish in the future. Shoreline areas on the land and into the shallow water provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife that live in or near Minnesotas lakes. Overdeveloped shorelines cant support the fish, wildlife, and clean water that are associated with natural undeveloped lakes. Shoreline habitat consists of aquatic plants, woody plants and natural lake bottom soils. Plants in the water and at the waters edge provide habitat, prevent erosion and absorb excess nutrients. Shrubs, trees, and woody debris such as fallen trees or limbs provide good habitat both above and below the water and should be left in place. By leaving a buffer strip of natural vegetation along the shoreline, property owners can reduce erosion, help maintain water quality, and provide habitat and travel corridors for wildlife.

Three Island Lake has an area of 173 acres and is located near Longville, MN. Three Island Lake has 4.3 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 13 feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Three Island Lake is in Lake Class 37; lakes in this class are generally small, shallow, turbid lakes with a high percentage of shallow water area. This lake is primarily managed for northern pike and bluegill and secondarily for largemouth bass and yellow perch. Fish population surveys have been conducted by the MNDNR in 1973, 1986, 1991 and 1996. The current survey was done in 2001. A wide range of northern pike sizes continue to persist in Three Island Lake; northern pike ranging in size from 13.3 to 33.2 inches were sampled by the DNR in 2001. The average length was 19.4 inches with an average weight of 1.6 pounds. The size structure of the northern pike population was similar to previous surveys; however, the number of large fish was slightly lower than previously observed. The 2001 catch rate for northern pike was the highest on record with 13.17 fish/ gill net. Bluegill catch rates in the DNR trap nets was the second highest on record and similar to other Lake Class 37 lakes. Bluegills ranging in size from 3.2 to 9.8 inches were sampled by the DNR, but were generally small in size. Similar to the observations in 1996 the bluegills collected in 2001 were very plump. An electrofishing survey was not conducted on Three Island Lake in 2001 but the largemouth bass collected in gill and trap nets were very plump. Largemouth bass ranging in size from 5.2 to 18.3 inches were collected during the survey. The abundance of yellow perch in Three Island Lake continues to decline slowly. In 1976, 20.00 yellow perch/ gill net were collected, in 2001 8.50 yellow perch/ gill net were collected. Despite the decline in catch the size range of yellow perch sampled has remained similar to previous surveys, in 2001 yellow perch between 5.0 and 12.0 inches were sampled by the DNR. In 1996 black crappie were sampled in Three Island Lake for the first time and they were sampled again during the 2001 survey. Sampled crappies in the 2001 survey ranged between 4.4 and 10.9 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye in Three Island. 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 Three Island. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Three Island has a maximum depth of 13 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Three Island is from 2022.

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