Falk

Falk Lake is a 73-acre lake located six miles east of the town of Clearbrook in northern Clearwater County. There is a county-owned public water access with parking for several trucks/trailers located on the north shore of the lake off Township Road 82. Falk Lake has a maximum depth of 33 feet. Much of the shoreline of the lake drops off sharply to deep water, which can limit the effectiveness of survey nets in capturing gamefish species. Falk Lake is managed for Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch and Largemouth Bass. The Walleye gill net catch rate of 1 fish per net was within the range typically found in similar lakes (0.5 fish to 3.3 fish per net). Falk Lake is stocked with Walleye fingerlings every third year (2012, 2015, 2018 etc.); however, there were no Walleye captured that could be aged to the most recent stockings, suggesting that they may not have been successful in producing year classes. Walleye captured ranged in length from 18.8 to 22.6 inches. Walleye anglers may want to focus their efforts on lakes with more abundant Walleye populations in the area than Falk Lake. Northern Pike were abundant in the 2019 survey. The gill net catch rate of nearly 12 fish per net was above the range typically found in similar lakes. Northern Pike captured ranged in length from 15.0 inches to 35.4 inches with an average size of 20.7 inches in length and 1.89 lbs/fish. Yellow Perch are listed as a managed species due to their importance as forage for predators in the lake such as Walleye. The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate of 3.5 fish per net was below the median catch rate typically found in similar lakes (6.5 fish per net). Few perch exceeding 7 inches in length were captured in this survey. Largemouth Bass are not captured effectively in standard survey nets. Time constraints and weather conditions precluded night electrofishing for Largemouth Bass in the 2019 survey. The most recent survey of Falk Lake conducted in 2009 showed a typical Largemouth Bass population for a small lake in the Bemidji area, with moderate abundance and fish exceeding 18 inches in length captured during night electrofishing. Bluegill and Black Crappie were not native to Falk Lake and are relatively new species to the fish community. Bluegill were first documented in 2003 and a single Black Crappie was captured for the first time in this survey. While the single Black Crappie tells us little about the population, Bluegill were captured in decent numbers in this survey and their population seems to be expanding. The Bluegill trap net catch rate of 6. 8 fish per net was within the range typically found in similar lakes (5. 9 fish to 40. 5 fish per net). Bluegill up to nearly 9 inches in length were captured in this survey. Other species of fish captured in the 2019 survey were Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish and White Sucker.

Falk Lake is six miles east of Clearbrook in east-central Clearwater County. It has a surface area of 65 acres and a maximum depth of 33 feet. There is very little residential development along the shoreline, which is surrounded by a mixture of forest and agricultural lands. A quiet little lake, the view from the water conveys a tranquil, north woods feeling. There is a county-owned, earthen public access in the northeast corner of the lake off Township Road 82. This lake has steep shoreline breaks immediately adjacent to a narrow littoral (shallow water) zone, which limits productivity and makes it difficult to effectively sample the game fish community. Northern pike is the most abundant predator species in the lake, although the population density appears to have declined over the past 20 years, which is an unusual trend for a small lake in northern Minnesota. In the 2009 population assessment, northern pike ranged in length from 18 to 25 inches, which is similar to that of the previous assessment. The average Falk Lake northern pike is about 21 inches long, and it reaches that size sometime during its third or fourth growing season. It is uncertain if walleye are indigenous to Falk Lake, although there are anecdotal reports that anglers caught walleye there in the 1940s. Although the lake has a history of stocking (1968-1993), the existing population is the result of natural reproduction. The walleye population in Falk Lake can be considered a low density population, which appears to be what the lake is capable of supporting due to its small size and low productivity. Largemouth bass were moderately abundant in 2009; however, that was the first time specialized sampling for largemouth bass had been conducted. Bass ranged in length from 10 to 19 inches with an average length of 15 inches. Eight different year classes were identified. In 2009, yellow perch abundance was the lowest recorded of any assessment. Historically, yellow perch abundance has been higher. In Falk Lake, yellow perch may be the preferred food item for northern pike, largemouth bass, and walleye. Because northern pike and largemouth bass are fairly abundant, they may be competing with walleye for food, and therefore affecting walleye abundance. It is not likely this lake could support any increase in predator populations. With the exception of largemouth bass, other members of the sunfish family are not common in Falk Lake. Black crappie have not been captured in any assessment to date.

Falk Lake is a 65-acre lake with a maximum depth of 33 feet located six miles east of Clearbrook in east central Clearwater County. There is a county-owned earthen public access in the northeast corner of the lake off township road 82. It is in lake class 28 along with 15 similar lakes in the Bemidji area. These lakes are generally small, clear and have hard water. Most of the fisheries management has been directed at walleye. Steep shoreline drop offs limits productivity and makes assessments difficult to conduct. Falk Lake has a fairy limited number of species in the fish community. Northern pike is the most abundant predator in the lake, but size is generally small, with no fish greater than 24 inches long sampled in 2003. Walleye abundance has been quite variable. Walleye was stocked from 1968 to 1993 with mixed success. Evidence of natural reproduction resulted in discontinuing walleye stocking. Successful reproduction was confirmed in 2003 when significant numbers of young walleye were sampled by electrofishing. The lake, because of its small size and productivity, can probably only support a modest size population of walleye. Yellow perch is probably the preferred food for both northern pike and walleye. Because pike are abundant and competing with walleye for yellow perch, they could also be affecting walleye abundance . Lakes in this lake class don't generally have abundant populations of yellow perch and do not support high densities of predator species. Pumpkinseed sunfish is the most abundant member of the sunfish family sampled. Only two largemouth bass were sampled. Standard survey nets are not effective in sampling this species. Bluegill were also sampled for the first time. Though unauthorized transportation and stocking of fish is illegal, it continues to occur. These species being native to many surrounding lakes appear to be harmless introductions. But once populations become fully established, they will certainly be displacing production of other desirable fish species. The most serious outcome of transporting aquatic species of any kind is the possibility of inadvertently transporting one of many exotic species invading waters throughout the country. Introductions of some exotic species can cause irreversible environmental damage. We will continue to monitor these three recent introductions to see where their populations will eventually stabilize and their effect on the rest of the fish community.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Bluegill, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Pumpkinseed in Falk. 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 Falk. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Falk has a maximum depth of 33 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Falk is from 2019.

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