Elbow

Elbow Lake is a shallow, 408-acre lake located just off the Gunflint Trail, approximately 8 miles north of Grand Marais in Cook County, Minnesota. There is a small boat access with a concrete ramp and dock located on the eastern side of the lake. Most of Elbow Lake is shallow with weeds spread throughout and provides good habitat for bluegill. Bluegill are one of the primary management species within the lake and have been stocked three times since the 1980's. In 2025, a targeted bluegill survey was conducted on Elbow Lake using standard trap nets to assess the population. The 2025 bluegill catch from the targeted survey was moderate and met the management goal of 1.5 fish/trap net. A total of 67 bluegill were caught during the survey, ranging in length from 1.3 to 10.6 inches. Size distributions of bluegill were very good with 56% of the catch exceeding 6.0 inches and 40% exceeding 8.0 inches when removing the abundant age-1 (< 3.0 inch) fish from analysis. Aging results found seven age classes, all naturally reproduced, with the largest sized fish aged at nine years old. On average, it took bluegill approximately five years to reach 8.0 inches. Additionally, some fish captured during the survey were able to grow and reach pretty large sizes, which is uncommon for Cook County lakes. Anglers looking to target bluegill on Elbow Lake can expect moderate catch rates with the opportunity to catch memorable sized fish.

Elbow Lake is a medium-sized, but very shallow lake lying in the Devil Track River (Elbow Creek) watershed. The lake has been managed in recent years primarily for walleye and bluegill, although it has also supported significant northern pike and yellow perch fisheries. This was the second of two standard surveys scheduled in the 2012 lake management plan (LMP) to determine whether walleye goals could be met in the absence of stocking, and whether the lake could support a self-sustained bluegill population meeting goals for that species. Management objectives for walleye in this lake are to maintain a minimum walleye gill net catch of 5.5 fish/set, with some fish over 20 inches present. Bluegill objectives are a minimum trap net catch of 1.5 fish/set, with some fish over eight inches present. Although northern pike were not listed as a primary management species in 2012, they are an important species in this lake and that plan established objectives for the species: a minimum gill net catch of 2.0 fish/set, with some fish over 30 inches present. Walleye were abundant in 2021, and were present in a wide range of sizes. The 2021 walleye gill net catch was the highest ever seen in this lake. It exceeded the current catch objective, and included several fish over 20 inches in length. Objectives for walleye in this lake had been met in the absence of any recent stocking. Sixteen year classes, almost all naturally produced, contributed to the 2021 catch, with fairly strong natural year classes produced in 2020, 2019, and 2018 driving the unusually high catch seen in 2021. The presence of fairly high numbers of fish over eight years of age suggested that despite the popularity of this lake with anglers, walleye harvest had not been excessive. Despite the presence of an excellent yellow perch forage base, growth rates for young walleye had been somewhat slower than average. Fish reached a mean length of 9.1 inches at the end of their third year, compared to an average of 11.0 inches for lakes in this area. Competition with yellow perch for invertebrate forage may have limited growth of young walleye. Tagging of walleye taken in a spring electrofishing assessment done by the Fond du Lac band in 2021 (green tags) allowed us to estimate the size of the walleye population in Elbow Lake. Based on recaptures of fish marked that spring, we estimated the lake held 975 walleye 10 inches or larger. While that number seemed low compared to the high gill net catch in 2021, less than half of the walleye taken in gill nets were large enough to have been among those marked in the spring of 2021. A similar estimate made in 2015 showed the lake holding 2,129 walleye 10 inches or larger that year. Bluegill were also abundant (for this area) in 2021, and the lake was producing many fish over eight inches in length. Management objectives for catch and size of bluegill in Elbow Lake were easily met, and it became clear there would be no need for additional stocking of that species. The trap net catch was the highest seen to date in this lake, and included several fish larger than eight inches. All the bluegill taken in standard gill and trap nets in 2021 had been produced naturally, and 0.25-in-mesh trap nets yielded an exceptionally high catch of young-of-year bluegill. Bluegill growth had been fairly fast; fish reached a mean length of 9.0 inches at the end of their sixth year, compared to an area average of 8.0 inches. Several anglers reported catching bluegill in 2021, including some fish over 10 inches. Interest in the fishery appeared to have been growing. Northern pike numbers and their average size appeared to have been down in 2021, and catch and size objectives from the 2012 LMP were not met. The northern pike gill net catch was the second lowest seen in this lake historically, and no fish over 30 inches in length were taken in any sampling gear. No ages were determined for northern pike sampled in 2021, but from their lengths it appeared that only three or four year classes, all of modest size, had contributed to the catch. As has typically been the case in this lake, yellow perch were very abundant in 2021. High numbers of yellow perch provided excellent forage for walleye and northern pike, but could have made it more difficult for anglers to catch fish of either species. Many anglers, particularly families with children, target perch in this lake, and many fish larger than eight inches were available to support that fishery. White sucker gill net catches had been declining in this lake since the early 1980s, and reached an all-time low in 2015. A higher catch was seen in 2021, suggesting some recovery in the population.

Elbow Lake has long had a reputation for producing fairly high numbers of small northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch. Recently a management goal has been establishing a self-sustained bluegill population. This was the first of two surveys scheduled in the 2012 lake management plan to determine whether more bluegill stocking was needed, and whether the lake could support a bluegill population meeting the long range goals for the species. In addition the survey was done to determine whether a resumption of walleye stocking might at some point be needed. Long range goals for bluegill in Elbow Lake were met in 2015, and it appeared there would be no need for additional stocking of the lake. Compared to other lakes in this area, bluegill were fairly abundant in Elbow Lake in 2015, and some nice-sized fish were present. The trap net catch was the highest seen to date in this lake, and included several fish larger than eight inches. All the bluegill taken in standard gill and trap nets in 2015 had been produced naturally, and 0.25-inch-mesh trap nets yielded an exceptionally high catch of young-of-year bluegill. Bluegill growth had been fairly fast; fish reached a mean length of 7.6 inches by the end of their fourth year, compared to an area average of 6.1 inches. Some anglers reported catching bluegill in 2015, and some were targeting the species, suggesting interest in the fishery was growing. Walleye were also fairly abundant; the 2015 catch was similar to most catches seen in this lake in the past 20 years. Several fish larger than 20 inches were caught, so size goals for the lake were met. Further stocking seemed unnecessary, since twelve year classes, almost all naturally produced, had contributed to the 2015 catch. Fairly strong natural year classes were produced in 2013, 2011, and 2010. The presence of fairly high numbers of fish older eight years suggested that despite the popularity of this lake with anglers, walleye harvest had not been excessive. Despite the presence of an excellent yellow perch forage base, growth rates for young walleye had been somewhat slower than average. Fish reached a mean length of 11.6 inches by the end of their fourth year, compared to an area average of 13.4 inches. Competition with yellow perch for invertebrate forage may be limiting growth of young walleye; older walleye may benefit more from the dense yellow perch population. The 2015 northern pike gill net catch rebounded from a low observed in the 2010 survey, and pike were again abundant in 2015. No fish over 30 inches were collected; however, fish of that size have been rare in Elbow Lake. The higher northern pike catch appeared to have been due to the presence of a strong 2013 year class. Growth of young northern pike had been about average, with two-year-old fish reaching a length of 15.1 inches by the end of their second year. Good northern pike growth in this lake was no doubt supported by the high numbers of yellow perch present. The yellow perch gill net catch exceeded the normal range for this type of lake, but was not exceptionally high for this lake historically. Many anglers, particularly families with children, target perch in this lake, and some fish larger than eight inches were available to support that fishery. Perch catch rates in this lake are typically high, but most of the fish caught will be small. White sucker gill net catches have been declining in this lake since the early 1980s, and that decline appeared to continue in this survey. The 2015 gill net catch was just within the normal range for this type of lake, but was the lowest ever seen in Elbow Lake.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Hybrid Sunfish, and Northern Pike in Elbow. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Elbow has a maximum depth of 9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Elbow is from 2025.

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