Mistletoe

Mistletoe Lake is managed for northern pike and walleye. The management goal for the northern pike population is a minimum gill net catch of 9.0 fish/set, with a mean weight of 1.5 lb/fish. The goal for walleye is a minimum gill net catch of 2.3 fish/set, with a mean weight of 1.8 lb/fish. This was to have been the second of two surveys scheduled in the 2006 lake management plan (LMP) to update water quality, habitat, and fish community data. The first survey, scheduled for 2008, was not completed due to a shortage of staff and funding. The 2014 survey was the sixth conducted on Mistletoe Lake, beginning with the initial survey in 1969. The lake had last been surveyed or assessed in 1989. Management goals for northern pike in this lake were partially met in 2014. The gill net catch was was within the normal range for this type of lake, but fell short of the LMP's long range goal. The plan's goal of a mean weight of at least 1.5 lb/fish was met. The three longest pike taken in 2014 (27.8-29.9 in) were the longest recorded in assessment netting of this lake. Five year classes, all naturally produced, were judged to have been represented in the catch, and growth had been fast. Northern pike gill net catches in this lake have declined in almost every assessment, from 23. 5 fish/set in 1969 to 9.7 fish/set in 1989 to 5.3 fish/set in 2014. Walleye were probably moderately abundant in Mistletoe Lake in 2014, and a few larger fish were present. The walleye gill net catch was lower in 2014 than in previous assessments, and did not meet the long range goal set for the lake, but the walleye catch in trap nets was near the upper end of the normal range for this type of lake, and included some larger fish (up to 25 inches). Although walleye fingerlings are frequently stocked in Holly Lake immediately upstream of Mistletoe Lake, the walleye population in Mistletoe Lake is maintained primarily by natural reproduction, which appears to occur in most years. Growth rates of walleye sampled in 2014 had been somewhat slower than average for the lake class. Yellow perch were abundant but small in 2014. The gill net catch was the lake's second highest, following the highest catch in 1989. Average size was small, and growth rates had been slower than average for this area. Perch are important prey of northern pike and walleye in this lake. Pumpkinseed sunfish were collected in Mistletoe Lake for this first time in 2014. They were fairly abundant, but small. This species probably made their way into Mistletoe Lake from Holly Lake, where they were abundant in 2007. Their abundance and mean weight in trap nets in Mistletoe Lake fell at the upper end of the normal range for this type of lake. The three largest fish measured just over 6 inches. All the pumpkinseed collected in 2014 were young fish, under five years of age. The abundance and size of white sucker showed little change compared to previous assessments. Minnows (species not identified) and young-of-the-year yellow perch, white sucker, and pumpkinseed were caught in small-mesh trap nets. Mistletoe Lake is shallower than contour maps would suggest. Although maps show much of the lake as being deeper than five feet, gill net sets made in what should have been the lake's deepest areas generally found under five feet of water. Despite the shallow water in this lake, and the severity of the winter of 2014 which resulted in severely depleted winter oxygen levels in some shallow lakes in this area, there was no evidence a winterkill had occurred in Mistletoe Lake.

WALLEYE ABUNDANCE WAS HIGH, AND SIZE WAS GOOD. THIRTY NINE PERCENT OF THE WALLEYE SAMPLED WERE OVER 16 IN. SEVERAL YEAR CLASSES WERE PRESENT, WITH THE 1986 AND 1984 YEAR CLASSES APPEARING TO BE THE STRONGEST. THE PRESENCE OF THE 1988, 1987, 1983 AND 1982 YEAR CLASSES INDICATES THAT GOOD NATURAL REPRODUCTION OCCURS. WALLEYE GROWTH WAS GOOD BY COOK COUNTY STANDARDS. YELLOW PERCH WERE ABUNDANT, AND SOME ARE LARGE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE ANGLING. NORTHERN PIKE ABUNDANCE WAS ALSO HIGH, BUT NONE OVER 24 INCHES WERE SAMPLED.

WALLEYE NUMBERS ARE GOOD, AS IS AVERAGE SIZE. THERE MAY BE MISSING AGE CLASSES, BUT GROWTH IS VERY GOOD. THERE IS A LARGE POPULATION OF SMALL NORTHERN PIKE PRESENT. THE YELLOW PERCH POPULATION LOOKS FAIRLY GOOD.

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

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

Mistletoe has a maximum depth of 6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Mistletoe is from 2014. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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