Horseshoe

Horseshoe Lake is a 260-acre lake with 3.84 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 51 feet located east of Backus, MN. There is a MNDNR owned public access on the south shore. Horseshoe Lake is primarily managed for Bluegill, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye and secondarily for Yellow Perch. The MNDNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Horseshoe Lake is in Lake Class 23; lakes in this class are generally clear, deep, have a low percentage of shallow water area, and have very irregularly shaped shoreline with many bays or points. Other Lake Class 23 lakes in the Walker area include Baby, Hay, Mule, Portage, and Stony. The purpose of this survey was to assess the status of gamefish populations in Horseshoe Lake. A special regulation for Sunfish (daily limit five) was implemented in 2016. Horseshoe Lake is unique in the fact that for its size and simplicity it supports a naturally reproducing Walleye population. Walleye numbers fell below the management goal of ten fish per gill net in 2024. Walleye ranged in length from 13 to 28 inches with an average length of 19 inches. In addition to Walleye, the lake also supports quality angling opportunities for Largemouth Bass and Bluegill. Largemouth Bass are abundant with fish up to 20 inches long sampled. Bluegill are abundant with approximately 10 percent sampled measuring 8 inches or longer, and Bluegill up to 10 inches sampled. A special regulation (sunfish daily limit 5) was implemented in 2016 to maintain quality size Bluegill. Black Crappie provide angling opportunity ranging in length from 4 to 13 inches with an average length of 8.7 inches. Northern Pike abundance is low due to limited spawning habitat. Other fish species sampled in Horseshoe Lake include Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, 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 Horseshoe 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 in Horseshoe Lake was conducted on July 22, 2019 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations, but one station was sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations and site conditions prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 12 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, and Rock Bass) and no species that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an August 2019 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (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. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey indicates Horseshoe Lake is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Pine River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Horseshoe Lake (DOW# 11-0358; Lake Class 23) is a 260-acre lake located near of Backus, MN. There is a DNR owned public access on the south shore. Horseshoe Lake has 3.84 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 51 feet. The lake is primarily managed for Bluegill, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye and secondarily for Yellow Perch. In 2005, a suite of special regulations was implemented with a mix of length and possession limit restrictions on Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Sunfish and Walleye. Starting in 2016, special regulations for Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye were dropped and statewide regulations applied to these species. The Sunfish possession limit of five was retained. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Horseshoe Lake is in Lake Class 23; lakes in this class are generally very clear, very deep, have a low percentage of shallow water area, and have very irregularly shaped shoreline with many bays or points. Other Lake Class 23 lakes in the Walker area include Baby (DOW# 11-0283), Hay DOW# 11-0199, Mule 11-0200, Portage (DOW# 11-0476), and Stony (DOW# 11-0371). The purpose of this survey was to assess the status of gamefish populations in Horseshoe Lake. Horseshoe Lake is unique in the fact that it for its size and simplicity it supports a strong naturally reproducing Walleye population. Compared to similar lakes, Horseshoe Lake has very high numbers of Walleye and the 2019 survey exceeded the management goal of ten fish per gillnet. Walleye ranged in length from 10 to 25 inches in length with an average length of 17 inches. Natural reproduction is consistent and the 2015 and 2018 year classes are exceptionally strong.In addition to Walleye, the lake also supports quality angling opportunities for Largemouth Bass and Bluegill. Bass are abundant with 25 percent of the sample measuring 15 inches or greater in length fish up to 20 inches long were observed Although numbers of Bluegill are relatively low, approximately 10% of fish sampled were longer than 8 inches. A special regulation (sunfish possession limit 5) was implemented in 2016 to maintain quality size Bluegill. Northern Pike numbers are very low because of very limited spawning and rearing habitat. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter include Black Crappie, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch. 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 Horseshoe 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, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Bluegill in Horseshoe. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Horseshoe has a maximum depth of 51 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Horseshoe is from 2024.

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