Horseshoe

Walleye were last stocked in 2010 and most of the fish caught appear to be from that stocking. While it may appear that Walleye numbers were low at 0.8/gill net, it is average for this type of lake. Average length was 24.0" and all the fish were over 20" in length. Northern Pike numbers were above average for the fourth survey in a row at 9.7/gill net. Average length was 19.6" with 17% measuring at least 26.0" in length. Yellow Perch have been caught in low numbers since 1989. This trend continues with a gill net catch of 0.9/net. Fish stocked in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2019 haven't seemed to help the situation for this important forage fish. Average length was 6.5". Largemouth Bass were sampled by night electrofishing, yielding a catch of 93.1/hr. run-time. Size was good, with an average of 13.3" and 64% measuring 12.0" or larger. Largemouth Bass were sampled in high numbers in gill nets at 4.0/net. Average length was 13.3", with 65% at least 12.0" in length. Panfish may be an attractive feature for Horseshoe anglers. Black Crappie numbers were average in gill nets (1.3/net) and in trap nets (2.6/net). Average length was 8.3" in gill nets and 8.6" in trap nets. With both gears combined, 57% of the fish were 8.0" or larger. Bluegill numbers, while the lowest to date at 9.8/trap net, were still average for this type of lake. Average size was 5.2" and 18% of the fish were 7.0" or larger. One trend we were seeing over the years was the increasing number of Yellow Bullheads. After six straight surveys with increasing numbers and peaking in 2013 at 103.3/gill net the trend has been for decreasing numbers the last two surveys. The gill net catch of 42.3/net was still well above average compared to similar lakes. Average length was 11.3". Zebra Mussels are present in Horseshoe Lake. Before and after launching lake users are required to inspect and remove any aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and trailers as well as pull the plug and drain all water from the watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Horseshoe Lake was conducted on August 1st, 2022 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Fourteen sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine. Nearshore sampling captured 18 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass) and no species that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an August 2022 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey indicates Horseshoe Lake is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Pine River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. Minnesota DNR Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Program staff also assessed lakeshore habitat on Horseshoe Lake on June 6th, 2022, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 62 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline Zone (the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), Shoreland Zone (land-ward from shoreline to development structure or 100 feet), and Aquatic Zone (lake-ward 50 feet of shoreline). The average lakewide habitat score was 57.8 (±3.2) out of 100 possible, which is low and below the statewide average score of 73. A low score indicates that sites are typically developed and have a lower than expected amount of natural habitat. Approximately 91% of the sites were developed with a mean score of 54.2 (±3.0), while undeveloped sites had a mean score of 98.7 (±1.3). Minnesota DNR Fisheries IBI program staff delineated the floating leaf and emergent aquatic vegetation of Horseshoe Lake 8/31/2022, following the protocols listed in the MN DNR Lake Plant Mapping Manual. There was a total of 39.5 acres of floating and emergent plants mapped. This consisted of 35.8 acres of emergent dominated plant communities and 3.7 acres of floating leaf plant communities. The following taxa were noted during the survey: bulrush (round-stem group) (Schoenoplectus spp.), canary grass (Phalaris spp.), cattail (Typha spp.), sedge (Carex spp.), three-square bulrush (species) (Schoenoplectus pungens), watershield (Brasenia schreberi), white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata).

We continue to attempt to improve the Horseshoe Lake (aka Sandbar) fishery. Northern pike and yellow bullhead numbers remained high, while yellow perch and walleye numbers remained low. Crappie and largemouth bass are themost attractive fishery species according to our sampling. Walleye were last stocked in 2010, and most, if not all of the fish caught in 2016 appear to be from that stocking. While it appears that walleye numbers were low at 1.3/gill net, it is actually average for this type of lake. Possible solutions to improving the walleye situation could be reducing the northern pike population and increasing the yellow perch population as mentioned above. Average size of the fish caught in 2016 was 22.5" and all of the fish were over 19". Northern pike numbers were above average (9.4/gill net) for the third survey in a row. Average size was 20.5" and 13% were 24" or larger. Statewide zone pike regulations to be implemented in 2018 are designed to gradually improve over-abundant pike populations. Yellow perch have been caught in low numbers since 1989. This trend continued in 2016 with only 0.2/gill net (2 fish total). Fish stocked in 2009, 2010, and 2013 haven't seemed to help the situation for this important forage fish. Largemouth bass were sampled by night electrofishing, yielding a catch of 41.9/hr. run-time. While numbers may not have been as high as other lakes, size was good, with an average of 13.8" and 77% measuring 12" or larger. Fish up to 20.2" were captured. Panfish size may be an attractive feature for Horseshoe anglers. Black crappie numbers were average (1.9/gill net), with 48% of the fish measuring 8" or larger. Fish up to 10.8" were sampled. Bluegill numbers, while the lowest to date (14.7/trap net), were still average for this type of lake. Average size was 6.5" and 37% of the fish were 7" or larger. One trend we have seen over the years is the increasing number of yellow bullheads. After six straight surveys with increasing numbers and as many as 103.3/gill net in 2013, numbers finally went down this year to 61.6/gill net. Fish ranged from 5.9" to 13.5" with an average size of 10.9".

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, and Walleye in Horseshoe. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Horseshoe has a maximum depth of 56 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Horseshoe is from 2022.

Yes — Horseshoe has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.