Pine

Pine Lake (also known as Trestle-Pine Lake) has been managed for stream trout since at least 1951. From 1988 through 2010 the lake was stocked annually with Splake fingerlings and Rainbow Trout yearlings. Rainbow Trout stocking was discontinued after 2010 to reduce management costs; however, the loss of that fishery was felt by summer anglers, and Rainbow Trout stocking will resume in 2020. This was the first of three standard surveys scheduled in the current (2018) lake management plan to evaluate that renewed stocking, and detemine what effect the accompanying reduction in Splake stocking (beginning in 2019) will have on that population. Splake appeared to have been abundant in 2018, with many 10-13-inch fish present. The Splake gill net catch in 2018 met the goal from the current plan (a minimum of 5.0 fish/set, with some fish over 16 inches). The catch was similar to those seen in this lake since 1998, and was well within the normal range (5.0-12.0 fish/set) for spring catches in stream trout lakes in this area. The trap net catch was the highest seen to date in this lake, and was above the normal range for this area. Splake collected in all gears in 2018 ranged in length from 6.0 to 18.0 inches, with most in the 10-13-inch length range. Five year classes contributed to the 2018 catch, including a few fish from a 2017 year class that appeared to have been naturally produced. Splake growth appeared to have been slow. Fish reached a mean length of just 10.4 inches at the end of their third year, compared to an area mean of 12.8 inches. Slow Splake growth has been noted in this lake in the past, and may have been due to the high numbers of fish present, and competition for invertebrate forage from White Sucker and Bluegill. Bluegill numbers were fairly high (for a lake in this area) in 2018, and the survey catch included many that would have been large enough to have been of interest to anglers. Bluegill were first taken in a survey of this lake in 1998. The 2018 trap net catch, while not unusually high for a lake of this type, was high for a stream trout lake (or any lake) in this area. The catch included many larger fish (up to 9.8 inches in length). Seven year classes contributed to the 2018 catch, which included fish as old as nine years. Bluegill growth had been about average for this area, with fish reaching a mean length of 6.9 inches at the end of their fifth year. Reproductive success appeared to have been consistently good, although no year classes stood out as having been exceptionally strong. The 2018 White Sucker gill net catch was the highest seen in this lake since 1998, and was well above the normal range for spring catches in area stream trout lakes. The White Sucker catch in trap nets was the second highest ever seen in this lake, and was far higher than any catches seen since 1998. White Sucker compete with Splake for invertebrate forage, but are generally too large to be taken as prey by Splake. A late-summer temperature-oxygen profile measured on 22 August found, at best, only a very narrow zone at a depth of about 15 ft that would have provided conditions considered ideal for Splake (water temperature = 5 ppm). Surface waters were stressfully warm, and deeper waters lacked oxygen. Lakes in the area may already have begun to cool by 22 August, so it is likely that conditions were more stressful earlier in the summer. These conditions may have been another factor in the poor growth exhibited by Splake taken in 2018, even though they apparently did not limit Splake survival. Rainbow Trout can tolerate warmer waters, and should do better than Splake under similar conditions.

Pine Lake is a designated stream trout lake, managed for splake. The current goal is to maintain a splake population with a minimum gill net catch of 6.0 fish/set in spring assessments, with some fish larger than 16 inches present. This was the first of two population assessments scheduled in the 2009 lake management plan to determine whether stocking splake in higher numbers, while discontinuing rainbow trout stocking, would result in an increase in splake abundance with no reduction in growth rate. Long range goals for splake in this lake were met in this assessment. Splake were relatively abundant, and a few larger fish were present. No rainbow trout from the last stocking (2010) remained. The splake gill net catch was near the upper end of the normal range for spring assessments of stream trout lakes in this area (5.25-12.00 fish/set), and exceeded catches seen in 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2008 in this lake. The mean weight for splake taken in gill nets was close to average for this area, and was similar to means seen in other recent assessments of this lake. Four stocked year classes contributed to the catch, and survival to three years of age was apparently fairly good. Splake growth had been somewhat slower than average; two-year-old fish reached a mean length of 8.5 inches at the end of their second year, compared to an area average of 9.5 inches. Competition from bluegill and white sucker may have adversely affected growth of young splake, perhaps because they may have been more dependent on invertebrate forage than older, larger fish. This assessment was supposed to have produced a population estimate for splake, based on marking done in a 3 June 2014 special assessment. Unfortunately, too few splake were recaptured to allow estimates to be made with acceptable precision. At most we can say, with some confidence, that the lake supported at least 820 splake in June 2014, and that at least 45 of those fish were 12 or more inches in length. Bluegill were fairly abundant in Pine Lake in 2014, and many were large enough to have provided some good fishing. Bluegill are not common in lakes in this area, and have been even scarcer in the area's stream trout lakes. The bluegill trap net catch in this assessment was high for this area, where catches normally do not exceed 3.3 fish/trap net set in the few lakes where the species is found. The 2014 catch in Pine Lake included fairly high numbers of fish larger than six inches, with fish as large as 8.9 inches taken. Several year classes, all naturally produced, contributed to the 2014 bluegill catch. Growth had been about average for this area, with fish reaching a mean length of 6.0 inches by the end of their fourth year. White sucker were also fairly abundant in Pine Lake in 2014. The gill net catch was similar to the catch observed in the last (2008) assessment. The catch in trap nets was similarly high. Based on lengths of fish sampled, it appeared that several year classes contributed to the 2014 catch, including many small fish from one or two younger age classes.

Splake abundance in 2008 was average compared to other stream trout lakes in the Grand Marais area, while the average size of the splake collected in 2008 was higher than usual for fish taken in a spring assessment. Most of the splake collected in 2008 were survivors of a 2006 fingerling stocking, although a few fish from the 2005 and 2007 stockings were also taken. Growth rates for stocked splake had been faster than average, with fishing reaching a length of 10.6 inches at the end of their second year in the lake. Few rainbow trout were taken in 2008, despite their having been stocked just a few days before the assessment. It is likely that something in the behavior of those newly-stocked fish kept them out of the reach of gill nets and trap nets used in this assessment. In addition to trout, Pine Lake supported a small number of bluegill in 2008, some of which were large enough to have been of interest to anglers. The lake also supported fairly high numbers of white sucker, but good growth observed for the splake taken in 2008 suggested that high white sucker numbers were not necessarily a problem in this lake. Walleye and smallmouth bass, which have been found in this lake in the past, were not found in 2008. That was very good news, since both species are highly undesirable in stream trout lakes.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Splake, Bluegill, Lake Trout, Smallmouth Bass, and Walleye in Pine. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Pine has a maximum depth of 34 feet and a mean depth of 14.7 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Pine is from 2018. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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