Ida

Lake Ida is a 4,432-acre, moderately fertile basin located northwest of Alexandria. Maximum depth exceeds 100 feet. Mean depth is approximately 28 feet. Lake Ida lies within the Long Prairie River watershed and is connected to Lake Miltona to the north and Lake Charley to the south via non-navigable channels. Water quality and clarity are considered good. Water clarity has increased since establishment of zebra mussels and often exceeds 15 feet during summer months. Residential development surrounds much of the lake. Lake Ida supports a complex fish community due to good water quality and exceptional habitat diversity such as shallow bays, rock bars, abundant mid-lake structure, and vast areas of emergent and submergent vegetation. This lake is a popular destination for both anglers and recreational boaters. Recreational pressure can be heavy, especially on weekend days during summer months. Three access sites are available for public use. Two on the east shore and one on the north. The north access has limited parking and is relatively shallow. Launching of large boats at this site can be challenging, especially during low water periods. Boaters should also be cautious of shallow rock bars off the following points: Pilgrim and Stony (the two points that separate the north and south portions of the lake) and Betsy Ross (the point entering the northwest bay). These areas are typically posted with caution signs. Primary fish management efforts are focused on Walleye with bass and sunfish being species of secondary management importance. A standard fisheries survey was completed in 2023 to assess the fish community and gain updated estimates of abundance and size structure of gamefish populations. Lake Ida is well known as a quality Walleye fishery. Walleye abundance (7.3 fish/gill net) has increased since the record-low level that was documented in 2019. Higher abundance can be attributed to increased survival and recruitment of young fish in recent years. Approximately 84% of the gill net sample was comprised of Walleye age 4 or younger. The dominant 2019 year class accounted for almost 60% of gill net captures. Mean size of Walleye captured in 2023 was 17.2 inches and 1.9 pounds. Lake Ida supports both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass populations. Largemouth Bass are more abundant but average size of Smallmouth Bass tends to be larger. Maximum lengths of bass sampled in 2023 were 17.7 inches for Largemouth and 18.5 inches for Smallmouth. Panfish populations, particularly Bluegill and Black Crappie, are abundant. Current size structure for Bluegill is considered fair to good. Mean length of Bluegill captured in 2023 was 5.3 inches for trap nets and 6.6 inches for gill nets. Angler catches of larger sunfish are common. Current size structure of crappie is considered good. Mean and maximum lengths of Black Crappie captured in 2023 were 10.1 and 12.2 inches. Rock Bass sustain an abundant population and contribute to fishing, but relatively few are harvested. Yellow Perch abundance is low and harvestable-size perch are rare. Northern Pike are not abundant (4.5 fish/gill net) but size structure of this population has improved in recent years. Average size in 2023 was 24.2 inches and 3.3 pounds. The largest pike measured was just over 36 inches. Northern Pike zone regulations were implemented in 2018 to help improve pike size structure. Lake Ida is located in the North-Central Zone. Anglers can keep up to 10 pike but not more than two can be over 26 inches in length. All pike between 22-26 inches must be immediately released. One Muskellunge, a 45-inch individual, was captured during the 2023 survey. This trophy gamefish is not stocked into Lake Ida, thus abundance is low. Presence of this species in Lake Ida is from downstream emigration from Lake Miltona. Lake Ida also supports opportunities to catch and harvest Tullibee, also referred to as Cisco or Lake Herring, and is one of only two lakes in the Glenwood Management Area where sport gill netting for this species is allowed. Other species captured during the 2023 survey included Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Common Carp, Green Sunfish, hybrid sunfish, and Pumpkinseed. The next lake survey is tentatively scheduled for 2027. Lake Ida is designated as an infested waterbody due to presence of zebra mussels, which were first confirmed in 2013. For more information regarding aquatic invasive species in Minnesota see the following: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic/index.html.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Ida Lake was conducted the week of July 25, 2022, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 24 sampling stations, but four stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 18 stations, a 15-foot seine was used to sample three station, and site conditions prevented the use of a seine at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 28 species of fish including eleven species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, Mottled Sculpin, Pugnose Shiner, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and three that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted by IBI Program Staff. Fifteen trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill and Pumpkinseed comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and Bluegill, Northern Pike, and Yellow Bullhead comprised a majority of the catch by biomass. The number of Bluegill sampled per net was nearly equal to the 75% quartile for similar Lake Class 22 lakes. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from an August 2019 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., Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and 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 Ida Lake is in very good health as indicated by an exceptionally high FIBI score well 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 Long Prairie River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Lake Ida is a 4,427-acre, moderately fertile basin located northwest of Alexandria. Maximum depth exceeds 100 feet. Mean depth is approximately 28 feet. Lake Ida lies within the Long Prairie River watershed and is connected to Lake Miltona to the north and Lake Charley to the south via non-navigable channels. Water quality and clarity are very good. Average water clarity measurements have increased to exceed 15 feet during summer months following infestation of zebra mussels in 2013. Lake Ida supports a complex fish community due to good water quality and exceptional habitat diversity such as shallow bays, rock bars, abundant mid-lake structure, and vast areas of emergent and submergent vegetation. This lake is a popular destination for both anglers and recreational boaters. Recreational pressure can be heavy, especially on weekend days during summer months. Three lake access sites are available for public use. Two on the east side and one on the north. The north access has limited parking space. This access can also be relatively shallow during low water periods. Launching of large boats at this site can be challenging. Boaters should also be cautious of shallow rock bars off of the following points: Pilgrim and Stony (the two points that separate the north and south portions of this basin) and Betsy Ross (the point entering the northwest bay). These areas are typically posted with caution signs. Primary fish management is directed at Walleye and Lake Ida has long supported a robust fishery. Annual fry and periodic fingerling stockings are programmed in efforts to supplement natural reproduction. The Lake Ida Association also stocks Walleye fingerlings by permit. Walleye abundance has declined in recent years due to poor survival of young fish. Fall electrofishing surveys and age structure of Walleye captured during the 2019 survey provide evidence of little survival and recruitment of young fish into the population from 2015-2018. Mean length and weight of 2019 captures was 18.5 inches and 2.4 pounds. Lake Ida supports both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass populations. Largemouth Bass are abundant and anglers can expect good fishing success. Largemouth Bass in spring electrofishing catches averaged 12.9 inches and fish up to 19.5 inches were measured. Smallmouth Bass numbers have increased in recent years. This population has typically been less abundant than Largemouth Bass, but average size of Smallmouth Bass is larger than that of Largemouth Bass. Mean length of Smallmouth Bass caught during the 2015 survey was 14.3 inches. Multiple fish measuring over 19 inches were captured. Northern Pike catches have moderated from that of past surveys. Currently, catch rates are typical of what is expected for this type of lake. Pike exceeding 30.0 inches are present but smaller, slow growing "hammer-handle" pike dominated the pike captures in 2019. An occasional Muskellunge has been captured during previous surveys. This trophy gamefish is not stocked into Lake Ida, thus abundance is low. Presence of this species in Lake Ida is likely a result of downstream emigration from Lake Miltona. Panfish anglers will encounter an abundant population of Bluegill. Fishing quality for this species is considered fair to good. Mean length of Bluegill captured in 2019 was 5.8 inches and fish up to 9 inches were observed. Angler catches of larger sunfish are common. Black Crappie are also abundant. Mean and maximum lengths of Black Crappie captured in 2019 were 9.7 and 12.4 inches. Rock Bass sustain an abundant population and contribute to fishing, but relatively few are harvested. Yellow Perch abundance is low and harvestable-size perch are rare. Lake Ida also supports opportunities to catch and harvest Tullibee, also referred to as Cisco. Lake Ida is one of only two lakes in the Glenwood Management Area where sport gill netting for this species is allowed. Other species captured during the 2019 survey included Bullheads (Brown and Yellow), Bowfin (Dogfish), Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and White Sucker. The next lake survey is tentatively scheduled for 2023. Fishing pressure can be seasonally heavy, particularly for Bluegill, Black Crappie and Walleye, while other gamefish populations are under-utilized. To help maintain fish community balance and quality fishing experiences, anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest strategies. Selective harvest encourages release of larger fish and increased harvest of more abundant smaller or under-exploited fishes such as Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass. Harvest of smaller pike from Lake Ida is highly encouraged to help keep this population in check. Lower numbers of hammer-handle Northern Pike should also improve survival of young Walleye. Walleye anglers should exercise restraint while fishing in deep water. Walleyes occupy depths at or in excess of 60 feet in fall, winter, and spring months. Walleyes caught at depths in excess of 30 feet, or one atmosphere, are subject to water pressure changes that result in over-inflation of their swim bladder which can force their stomach to protrude outside the mouth. The extended gas bladder prevents captured fish from leaving the water surface and moving into deeper water for some time. Delayed mortality of these fish is often high. It is wasteful and counterproductive to management efforts to practice catch and release of Walleyes from deep water. Lake Ida is designated as an infested waterbody due to presence of zebra mussels, which were first confirmed in 2013. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water. For more information regarding aquatic invasive species in Minnesota see the following: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic/index.html

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Muskellunge, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye in Ida. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Ida has a maximum depth of 106 feet and a mean depth of 28 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Ida is from 2023.

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