Little Horseshoe

IN AUGUST, 1990, A LAKE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED ON LITTLE HORSESHOE LAKE. TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF THE FISH POPULATIONS, THREE GILLNETS AND THREE TRAPNETS WERE SET. NO SHORELINE STATIONS WERE SEINED DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF READILY SEINABLE AREAS (EXTREMELY DENSE WEED GROWTH ALONG ENTIRE LAKE PERIMETER.) BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THESE EFFORTS THE STATUS OF THE FISH POPULATIONS COMPARED TO PREVIOUS SURVEYS AND TO LAKES OF THE SAME CLASSIFICATION STATEWIDE ARE AS FOLLOWS: THE NOP NET CATCH (0.67/SET; 2 FISH) WAS LOWER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN (4.50/SET) AND WAS BELOW THE FIRST QUARTILE (2.58/SET). THIS SURVEY IS THE FIRST TIME THAT NOP WERE CAPTURED IN THE GILLNETS. PREVIOUSLY, A FEW NOP WERE CAPTURED IN THE TRAP- NETS. IN 1990, HOWEVER, NO NOP WERE CAPTURED IN THE TRAPNETS. THE NOP CATCHES DURING THE SURVEY WERE RATHER CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS SURVEYS AND INDICATE THAT A SMALL NUMBER OF NOP MAINTAIN THEMSELVES IN LITTLE HORSESHOE. NOP IN LITTLE HORSESHOE ALSO MAY ORIGINATE FROM HORSESHOE LAKE DUE TO MIGRATION THROUGH THE CHANNEL BETWEEN THE LAKES. THE BLG NET CATCH (58.00/SET) WAS HIGHER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN (25.00/SET) BUT REMAINED BELOW THE THIRD QUARTILE (65.80/SET). THE 1990 BLG NET CATCH WAS HIGHER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS TWO SURVEYS (1982, 23.25/SET; 1957, 26.60/SET). THE SUB-SAMPLE OF BLGS THAT WERE MEASURED (94 OF 174 CAPTURED) RANGED IN LENGTH FROM 3.0 TO 7.4 INCHES WITH A MEDIAN LENGTH GROUP OF 6.0 TO 6.4 INCHES AND AN AVERAGE WEIGHT OF 0.13 POUNDS. AGE ANALYSIS ESTIMATED THAT FISH RANGED IN AGE FROM THREE TO SEVEN YEARS WITH SIX YEARS OLD FISH REPRESENTING 48 PERCENT OF THE CATCH. AVERAGE BACK-CALCULATED LENGTHS OF ALL AGE CLASSES WERE CONSIDERABLY LOWER THAN TYPICAL OF BLGS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, INDICATING SLOW GROWTH. THE BLC TRAP- NET CATCH (0.67/SET) WAS BELOW THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN (5.25/SET) AND THE FIRST QUARTILE (1.75/ SET). THE 1990 BLC TRAPNET CATCH WAS SLIGHTLY HIGHFER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS SURVEY (0.50/SET). THE GILLNET CATCH (2.33/SET) WAS CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS SURVEYS. THE BLC RANGED IN LENGTH FROM 5.5 TO 8.9 INCHES WITH A MEDIAN LENGTH GROUPS OF 6.5 TO 6.9 INCHES AND AN AVERAGE WEIGHT OF 0.13 POUNDS. AGE ANALYSIS ESTIMATED THAT FISH RANGED IN AGE FROM TWO TO FOUR YEARS WITH THREE YEAR OLD FISH REPRESENTING 78 PERCENT OF THE CATCH. AVERAGE BACK-CALCULATED LENGTHS FOR ALL AGE CLASSES WERE LOWER THAN TYPICAL OF BLC THROUGHOUT THE STATE, INDICATING BELOW AVERAGE GROWTH. FOR THE FIRST TIME, NO BLACK OR BRB WERE CAPTURED IN THE TRAPNETS IN LITTLE HORSESHOE LAKE. HOWEVER, THE GILLNET CATCHES OF THESE TWO BULLHEAD SPECIES WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE PREVIOUS SURVEYS. THE YEB TRAPNET CATCH (1.67/SET) WAS SLIGHTY HIGHER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN (1.60/SET) BUT REMAINED BELOW THE THIRD QUARTILE (5.00/SET). THE YEB TRAPNET CATCH (1.67/SET) WAS JUST HIGHER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS SURVEY ( 1.50/SET). OVERALL, NO APPARENT DRAMATIC CHANGES HAVE OCCURRED IN THE BULLHEAD POPULATIONS. SIX OTHER SPECIES WERE CAPTURED DURING THE SURVEY (BOF,GOS,PMK SUNFISH, GSF, HSF YEP). ONLY ONE BOF WAS CAPTURED DURING THE SURVEY. THE YEP NET CATCH (1.67/SET) WAS LOWER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN (3.00/SET) BUT REMAINED ABOVE THE FIRST QUARTILE (1.50/SET). THE GOS AND PMK NET CATCHES WERE ABOVE THEIR RESPECTIVE STATEWIDE MEDIANS BUT REMAINED BELOW THEIR THIRD QUARTILES. THE GSF NET CATCH (2.33/ SET) WAS ABOVE THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN (0.80/SET) AND THIRD QUARTILE (2.00/SET). OVERALL, THE CATCH RATES OF THESE SIX ADDITIONAL SPECIES, EXCLUDING GREEN AND HSF, WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS SURVEYS ON LITTLE HORSESHOE LAKE. THE 1990 SURVEY WAS THE FIRST TIME GREEN SUNFISH AND HSF HAVE BEEN CAPTURED IN LITTLE HORSESHOE LAKE.

The Bluegill Sunfish at 23.25 per set was the only fish with a close to average population. The Pumpkinseed & Blk Crappie has very low population figures and all Panfish were of a small to fair size. The N. Pike, Yel Perch and LM Bass all had very low population figures and were of a fair to large size. The Bowfin and Golden Shiner would also be classified as having very low populations.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, and Pumpkinseed in Little Horseshoe. 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 Little Horseshoe. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Little Horseshoe has a maximum depth of 43 feet and a mean depth of 15 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Horseshoe is from 1990. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Yes — Little Horseshoe has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.