Whiskey

Whiskey Lake is a relatively small (158 acres), lightly developed basin located two miles northeast of Brandon in Douglas County. The lake has a maximum depth of 46 feet. Nearly half of the lake area is less than 15 feet deep. Water quality in Whiskey Lake has improved over the past two decades. The lake received discharges from the Brandon wastewater treatment plant until 1988. Excessive nutrient loading resulted in degradation of water quality and fish habitat. Dense algal blooms used to be frequent throughout summer months. Algal blooms can still occur, but with less frequency and severity. Whiskey Lake now supports a diverse and abundant aquatic plant community, which provides key spawning and nursery habitat for quality game fish populations. The fish community in Whiskey Lake has changed dramatically over the past several decades. Increased water quality and improved habitat conditions have led to a shift in fish species composition. Current fish community attributes more closely reflect that of small, heavily vegetated, bass-panfish lakes of west-central Minnesota. Largemouth Bass, Bluegills, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike are now abundant. These species were practically non-existent throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. A fish survey was completed during spring and summer 2021 to provide updated information on the fish community of Whiskey Lake. Survey components included spring electrofishing to assess Largemouth Bass, spring trap nets to assess panfish and gill nets were utilized during July. This was the first survey on Whiskey Lake that included a spring panfish survey and results will be used as a baseline to evaluate the effects of the new sunfish regulation. Starting in the spring of 2021, a special regulation was implemented that reduced the daily limit of sunfish from 20 to 5. Whiskey Lake supports a quality sunfish population and a number of Bluegill over 9 inches were observed in the survey. Growth rates are fast and Bluegill up to age 11 were sampled in the survey. Large bluegill can be over exploited, especially in such a small system. The reduced bag limit will help maintain and possibly further enhance this quality fishery. Spring surveys also offer the opportunity to sample larger Black Crappie (>8"), which can be difficult to sample in mid-summer surveys. The size structure of Black Crappie sampled in this survey was very high. Almost 43% of the sample was made up of Black Crappie ranging from 12 to 14 inches in length. Growth rates are only moderate, thus these larger crappies were very old compared to other populations, as most were 10 to 11 years old. Largemouth Bass are also abundant and provide a quality fishing opportunity. A majority of the bass caught in this survey were from 13 to 17 inches in length. The largest bass in this survey was only 17.2 inches, but fish up to almost 21 inches have been caught in recent surveys. Northern Pike abundance has been increasing, however size structure remains poor. Average length of pike was only 18.7 inches. Walleye catch rates declined to 1.2 fish/net despite continued surplus fingerling stockings in recent years. The increased water clarity and submergent vegetation likely favor the bass/panfish and northern pike populations in Whiskey Lake. No Common Carp have been observed in Whiskey Lake since the lake was reclaimed and Black Bullhead abundance remains low. Quality fishing opportunities exist for multiple species in Whiskey Lake. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help improve and sustain the quality of the fishery. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while promoting harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish will help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future. Whiskey Lake was designated as infested after zebra mussels were discovered in 2017. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent the further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community was conducted on August 1, 2019 by Fisheries Lake IBI program staff. Nearshore sampling stations 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 10 stations, with two stations sampled from boat due to site conditions. A 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations and a 15-foot seine was used at four stations. Two sampling stations had conditions that prevented the use of seines. The nearshore sampling captured 16 native fish species including two species (Blacknose Shiner and Iowa Darter) intolerant of habitat disturbance and two species (Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish) that are tolerant of disturbance. Data from this targeted nearshore survey and trap net survey is combined with data from a standard gill netting survey to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score that describes the overall health of the lake. 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. 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. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Chippewa River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

This nearshore survey was conducted during summer 2016 to assess populations of non-game species and small game fish using backpack electrofishing and seining. Backpack electrofishing and/or seining were conducted at 10 stations, representing a variety of habitat types, along the shoreline of Whiskey Lake. The survey was conducted during the five-year sampling window for intensive monitoring efforts within the Chippewa River watershed, and will be contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Eleven species were collected during this survey, indicating a relatively simple nearshore fish community. Only one species (Iowa Darter) was considered "intolerant" based on current tolerance classifications for Minnesota lakes. Nearshore catch data will be used along with gill and trap net catch data to develop an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score, which is indicative of the health of Whiskey Lake.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Walleye in Whiskey. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Whiskey has a maximum depth of 46 feet and a mean depth of 12 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Whiskey is from 2021.

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