Heart

Update 06/17/2014; There has been a change in public access status. The public access was leased by Clearwater County from the White Earth Reservation. That lease expired and has not been renewed. Heart Lake is a 206-acre lake with a maximum depth of 55 feet located 8 miles northwest of Itasca State Park in southern Clearwater County. The shoreline of Heart Lake is mostly undeveloped with a small number of lakeshore cabins. Water quality measurements taken in July 2013 documented excellent water quality, with good oxygen levels for fish down to a depth of 26 feet and a Secchi disc reading of 19.5 feet (very clear water). No fisheries management work has been conducted on Heart Lake since 1989 due to issues regarding the public water access site on the lake; however, public access was recently affirmed and fisheries management work resumed in 2013. The 2013 fish population assessment documented bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass and northern pike as the primary species present in Heart Lake. The 2013 bluegill catch rate of 10.22 fish per trap net (10.22/TN) is within the typical range for Lake Class 23 lakes. Bluegill captured in trap nets had an average size of 5.1 inches in length. Gill nets captured larger bluegill than trap nets, with a mean length of 7.0 inches and fish up to 9.7 inches in length. Fourteen percent of gill net-caught bluegill were greater than 8 inches in length. Growth rates for bluegill in Heart Lake were below average, with fish reaching 4.1 inches in length at age-5 compared to 5.1 inches for other Lake Class 23 lakes in the area. Bluegill up to age-15 were identified in the assessment, which is unusually long-lived for the species. Black crappie catch rates were low for trap nets (0.33/TN) but above the normal range for gill nets (2.33 fish/gill net). As with bluegill, gill nets captured larger black crappie than trap nets. Gill nets are set deeper on the outside edges of weed lines, while trap nets are set along the shoreline in shallower water. Black crappie up to 12.7 inches in length were captured; however, most of the black crappie catch consisted of age-2 and age-3 fish resulting in an average length of 7.0 inches. Northern pike were captured at a rate of 7 fish per gill net, which is near the upper end of the typical catch rate for Lake Class 23 lakes. Northern pike up to 37 inches in length were captured in the assessment, with an average size of 20.6 inches and 1.92 lbs. Nineteen percent of northern pike captured in the assessment were greater than 24 inches in length. An electrofishing assessment targeting largemouth bass was conducted as part of the 2013 assessment. The electrofishing catch rate of 79.6 bass/hour indicates a healthy bass population. Largemouth bass up to 17.6 inches in length were captured. Forty-one percent of bass captured exceeded 12 inches in length. Growth rates for largemouth bass were comparable to averages for other Lake Class 23 lakes in the area, although growth rates for this lake class are the slowest among all lake types found in the Bemidji area. Age-5 largemouth bass from Heart Lake averaged 10.7 inches in length. Other species documented in the 2013 assessment were hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, white sucker and yellow perch.

THE GILLNETS SHOWED NORTHERN PIKE ABOVE THE LOCAL MEAN AND YELLOW PERCH BELOW. PUMPKINSEED, LARGE- MOUTH BASS AND BLUEGILL WERE ALL ABOVE THE LOCAL TRAPNET MEANS, BLACK CRAPPIE NEAR THE MEAN, AND BROWN BULLHEAD AND ROCK BASS BELOW THE MEAN. NO WALLEYE OR WHITE SUCKER WERE CAPTURED IN EITHER GILL OR TRAPNETS ALTHOUGH WALLEYE ARE OCCASIONALLY CAUGHT BY ANGLERS.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Black Crappie, Rock Bass, Northern Pike, and Largemouth Bass in Heart. 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 Heart. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

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

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Heart is from 2013. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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