Lind

Lind Lake (DOW# 11-0367-00; Lake Class 34) is a 440-acre lake with 249 littoral acres, 5.61 miles of shoreline, and a maximum depth of 27 feet located east of Backus, MN. There is a DNR owned public access on the eastern side of the lake. Lind Lake in on the Pine River a state Water Trail Canoe Route. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Lind Lake is in Lake Class 34; lakes in this class are shallow, turbid, and regularly shaped. Other area lakes in this class include Middle Sucker (DOW# 11-0317, Lake Class 34) and Rice Lake (DOW# 11-0162, Lake Class 34). The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. Lind Lake is primarily known for quality panfish by anglers. Black crappie abundance is moderate with fish from 5 to 13 inches sampled. Bluegill were sampled in good numbers and size quality is excellent, meeting both management goals for size and abundance. Bluegill ranged from 3 to 10 inches with an average length of 7 inches and 50 percent of the sample measured 8 inches or greater in length. A special regulation for Bluegill (daily limit of 5 Sunfish) was implemented in 2008 to maintain quality sized Bluegill and spread harvest among anglers. Largemouth Bass abundance is low and only six fish were sampled in this survey. Walleye abundance is moderate and below the management goal of four fish per gillnet despite fry stocking beginning in 2016. Lengths of sampled fish ranged from 13 to 22 inches with an average length of 18 inches. Northern Pike are very abundant exceeding the maximum management goal. Most Northern Pike are small in size averaging 20 inches long with fish from 11 to 28 inches present. Anglers are encouraged to keep Northern Pike under 22 inches in this lake. Yellow Perch are abundant meeting the management goal. Most perch are small but provide good forage for predator fish with Yellow Perch up to 10 inches long present. Other fish species sampled include Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, 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 Lind Lake, however Zebra Mussels and Curly Leaf Pondweed have been found in upstream Pine Mountain 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 was conducted on Lind Lake on July 29-30, 2019 by Fisheries Lake Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) program staff. Sampling methods targeted nearshore, small-bodied fish and included seining and backpack electrofishing. Sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at ten sampling stations, with four sites surveyed from the boat due to deep water and soft substrate. A 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, a 15-foot seine was used at two stations, and a substantial community of wild rice and soft substrates prevented the use of seines at four sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 24 native species of fish including seven species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, Pugnose Shiner and Rock Bass). Data from this targeted survey is combined with data from a standard gill net and trap net survey conducted during June 2019 to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. Fish community diversity and composition metrics 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. Blackchin Shiner, 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 Lind Lake is healthy as indicated by an exceptionally high FIBI score, well 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.

Lind (Lindsey) Lake is a 377.0-acre lake with 5.61 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 27 feet located east of Backus MN. There is a DNR owned public access on the eastern side of the lake. Lind Lake in on the Pine River a state Water Trail Canoe Route. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Lind Lake is in Lake Class 34; lakes in this class are shallow, turbid, and regularly shaped. The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. Lind Lake is primarily known for quality panfish by anglers. Bluegill abundance ranges between low and moderate but size quality is excellent. Bluegill ranged from 4 to 9 inches with an average length of 7 inches and 55 percent of the sample measured 7 inches or greater in length. A special regulation for Bluegill (possession limit of 5 Sunfish) was implemented to maintain quality sized Bluegill and spread harvest among anglers. Black crappie abundance is also moderate with fish up to 11 inches sampled. Largemouth Bass abundance is low and only one fish was sampled in the recent survey. Walleye abundance is moderate but was below the management goal of four fish per gillnet despite even-year fry stocking beginning in 2016. Lengths of sampled fish ranged from 13 to 23 inches with an average length of 17 inches. Northern Pike are very abundant and small in size, with most pike ranging between 18-23 inches long. Anglers are encouraged to keep pike under 22 inches on this lake. Yellow Perch numbers are moderate with fish up to 10 inches long present. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter include Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, White Sucker and Tullibee (Cisco). 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 Lind 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 Walleye, Rock Bass, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Bluegill in Lind. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Lind has a maximum depth of 27 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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