Island

Island Lake (Dow # 29-0088-00) is located seven miles south of Nevis in southern Hubbard County. Island Lake has a surface area of 225 acres and a maximum depth of 32 feet. There is a county-owned public access with an earthen ramp located on the north shore of the lake off Chokecherry Lane. Island Lake provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, panfish and an occasional Walleye. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Island Lake is in Lake Class 29. Lake Class 29 lakes generally have a high littoral area (lake area less than 15 feet deep) and a regularly shaped shoreline. Other Lake Class 29 lakes in the Park Rapids management area include: Cedar, Horseshoe, Mow, Palmer, Spirit, and Tenth Crow Wing. Anglers can expect to find an abundant Northern Pike population dominated by small, "hammer handle" pike in the 18-to-22-inch size range, with a few larger Northern Pike sampled up to 35.2 inches. There are also an abundant number of Largemouth Bass which are generally smaller in size with an average length of 10.6 inches, but fish up to 18 inches were sampled. Island Lake provides opportunities for panfish including Bluegill, Pumpkinseed and Black Crappie. Bluegill and Pumpkinseed were sampled in lower numbers when compared to similar lakes but about half of the fish sampled were in the 6 to 8-inch range, with fish up to 9.6 inches. Black Crappies numbers have remained stable but are smaller in size with an average size of 9.1 inches and very few fish over 11 inches sampled. Only 3 Walleye were captured in the most recent survey, the sizes ranged from 21 to 23 inches. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Island Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.

Island Lake (also known as Little Island) is located in southern Hubbard County, seven miles south of Nevis. Island Lake has a surface area of 225 acres and a maximum depth of 32 feet. A county-owned public access with an earthen ramp is located on the north side of the lake. Island Lake provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Island Lake is in lake class 29. Other area lakes in this same classification include: Tenth Crow Wing, Mow, Palmer, and Spirit. The Northern Pike catch rate was within the range typical for this lake class and similar to past surveys. Anglers will find lots of small hammer-handle pike as the average size was only 19 inches and 1.3 pounds. Pike up to 26 inches were sampled. Anglers will find good numbers of Largemouth Bass in Island Lake. Catch rates were above the typical range for this lake class but similar to previous surveys. Spring electrofishing was completed for the first time in 2018 with an average size of 11 inches, and fish up to 19 inches captured. Island Lake provides opportunities for panfish including Bluegill, Pumpkinseed and Black Crappie. The Bluegill catch rate was within the typical range for the lake class. Sizes of 5.5-8 inches were common, and fish as large as 9.25 inches were sampled. Pumpkinseed Sunfish had a typical catch rate for lake class 29. Most fish were over 6 inches, but only one fish was over 8 inches. The catch rate of Black Crappies was also within the typical range for lake class 29 and most Crappies were 7-9 inches but fish up to 10.5 inches were sampled. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Island Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Island Lake was conducted on July 19 and July 25, 2018 by Fisheries Lake IBI program staff. 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 all 10 stations. A 50-foot seine was used to sample six stations, a 15-foot seine was used to sample three stations, and one sampling station had conditions that prevented the use of seines. Nearshore sampling captured 17 native species of fish including five species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass) and no tolerant species. Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with data from standard gill and trap netting surveys to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) 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. The FIBI score for Island Lake based on this survey is 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 Crow Wing River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

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

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

Island has a maximum depth of 32 feet and a mean depth of 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Island is from 2025.

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