Johnson

Johnson Lake (DOW# 11-0363; Lake Class 28) is a 90-acre lake located near Backus, MN. There is a county owned public access on the south shore off of County Road 55. Johnson Lake has 1.59 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 55 feet. The lake is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie and secondarily for Northern Pike, Bluegill and Yellow Perch. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Johnson Lake is in Lake Class 28; lakes in the class are small, clear and regularly (bowl shape) shaped. Johnson Lake has a game fish community that is dominated by Largemouth Bass and Bluegill. The majority of Largemouth Bass were between 11 to 15 inches, but Bass up to 19 inches were sampled. Bluegill of all sizes are present in Johnson Lake with fish up to 9 inches sampled. Northern Pike are abundant with fish up to 30 inches present. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter include Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Walleye, 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 Johnson 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.

Johnson Lake is a 75-acre lake with a maximum depth of 55 feet. It is located three miles east of Backus in northern Cass County. Based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types. Johnson Lake is in Lake Class 28. Other area lakes in this same class include Kerr (located seven miles east of Hackensack), Upper Sucker (located eight miles east of Cass Lake), and Rat (located next to Whipholt) Lakes. There is an unmarked public access on the south side of the lake off of the township road.An abundant Northern pike population which is typical of class 28 lakes exists Johnson Lake. The average size of northern pike sampled in 1995 (18.5 inches) was smaller than in 1990 (25.0 inches). However, northern pike more than 34 inches in length were sampled. Northern pike are growing at a rate similar to other area lakes in this class.A sampled bluegill ranged in length from two to eight inches with 11% of the sample 7 inches or greater. In order to maintain this quality, few large bluegill should be harvested. Many other surrounding lakes have seen noticeable declines in big bluegill over recent years. Other sunfish that can offer quality fishing are pumpkinseed and rock bass.As in previous years, low numbers of black crappie and largemouth bass were sampled. Summer netting is often a poor sampling method for these species.Only one walleye was sampled in 1995. Few walleye have been sampled in previous years as well and are not typically abundant in most class 28 lakes.Yellow perch is the primary food fish for large predator species. Numbers of sampled yellow perch were typical of other class 28 lakes. The average length of yellow perch was 6.6 inches.Other fish sampled include white sucker and yellow bullhead. To help maintain quality fish populations in Johnson Lake, lake users should safeguard aquatic habitats by preserving or reestablishing aquatic plants and natural shorelines. Aquatic and terrestrial plants provide food and cover for fish and wildlife. They also help protect shorelines from erosion, and absorb nutrients and pollutants. Natural shorelines, shorelines that have not been altered by man, help protect a lake from silt-laden runoff waters. They also provide excellent places for wildlife to feed, hide, and raise their young. Protection of the Johnson Lake watershed is also needed for maintaining water quality.Anglers can help maintain or improve the quality of fishing by practicing catch and release of medium to large-sized fish. Releasing these fish will help maintain the fish population in Johnson Lake and provides anglers with more opportunities to catch more large fish in the future.

The northern pike gillnet catch of 1.8 is low. Several size classes were collected. Natural reproduction appears to be low and may not occur every year. Large fish were sampled.Yellow bullhead is the only species of bullhead that has been collected in Johnson Lake. Rock bass net catches are fairly high. The bluegill trapnet catch of 92 is within the historical range of 47 to 268. The 1990 samples of bluegill exhibit better quality than the 1967 or 1981 samples. 1967 1981 1990 GN & TN June TN May TN PSD 13 8 65 65 69RSD-7 4 0 7 7 15RSD-8 0 0 <1 <1 <1The 1967 and 1981 assessments occurred during mid-July, as compared to mid-June during 1990. This change in sampling period may have influenced the PSD and RSD values. The bluegill growth rate is slow.The largemouth bass population appears to be high (86/hr. of electrofishing). Forty-three percent of the sample was greater than 8 inches in length. PSD and RSD-15 values were 16 and 7. The growth rate for largemouth bass is near normal.The black crappie population was effectively sampled by the May trapnetting and electrofishing. Fish from 6 to 13 inches long were collected. Several year classes were well represented indicating aboundant, consistent natural reproduction and recruitment. Black crappie growth rate is near normal.The yellow perch gillnet catch of 2.5 per net is low.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Rock Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Yellow Perch in Johnson. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Johnson has a maximum depth of 55 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Johnson is from 2014. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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