Belle Taine

Belle Taine is located in south-central Hubbard County adjacent to the town of Nevis. Belle Taine has a surface area of 1,497 acres and a maximum depth of 56 feet. A city owned public access is located on the east shore of the lake. Access is also available by small craft from Shallow Lake which lies to the north of Belle Taine. Belle Taine is a very popular lake for fishing and water recreation. Belle Taine provides angling opportunities for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Panfish, Walleye, and Northern Pike. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Belle Taine is in class 25. Class 25 lakes are generally deep, very clear, have hard water, and are irregularly shaped. Other class 25 lakes in the Park Rapids management include: Bad Axe, Big Mantrap, Dead (Upper Ojibway), Eagle, Island, Little Mantrap, Little Sand, Spider, Straight, Third Crow Wing, Two Inlets, and West Crooked. Belle Taine supports an abundant Largemouth Bass population and moderate numbers of Smallmouth Bass. Spring electrofishing sampling was not conducted in 2021 due to equipment issues, but past surveys have sampled good numbers and sizes of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. Belle Taine has good water quality, bottom substrate, and submerged and emergent vegetation that will ensure healthy Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass populations. Belle Taine supports a good Black Crappie population and angling for them is popular year around. Anglers will find good numbers of Black Crappie in the 9-12 inch size range. Belle Taine also provides good fishing for Bluegill and Pumpkinseed; however, the size of fish runs small (6-7 inch size range). Walleye abundance was down from recent surveys, but still within the range for this lake class. A strong year class of 8 to 11 inch Walleye were sampled and should provide good angling in future years. Walleye sampled had an average length of 16.4 inches with fish measuring up to 26.9 inches. Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye were sampled in low numbers. Northern Pike abundance was up and were sampled in the highest recorded number for all surveys on Belle Taine. Northern Pike numbers in past surveys have generally fluctuated in moderate numbers for this lake class. Anglers will find the Northern Pike population dominated by small, "hammer handle" pike. Northern Pike sampled had an average length of 20.3 inches, weighed 1.8 pounds, and measuring up to 32.6 inches. Currently, no Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) have been identified in Belle Taine. 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 nearshore fish species in Belle Taine Lake was conducted on August 4th, 2021 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 18 sampling stations, but one station was sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 14 stations, a 15-foot seine was used at one station, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 18 species of fish including eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass), and zero species that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an August 23rd, 2021 standard 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, Common Carp, Fathead Minnow). 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 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.

Belle Taine Lake is located just west of Nevis, MN in Hubbard County. Belle Taine has a surface area of 1,497 acres and a maximum depth of 56 feet. A city owned public access is located on the east shore of the lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Belle Taine Lake is in lake class 25. Class 25 lakes generally are deep, very clear, have hard water and are irregularly shaped. Other class 25 lakes in the Park Rapids area include: Bad Axe, West Crooked, Ninth Crow Wing, Ojibway, Island, Big Mantrap, Little Sand, Skunk, Spider, Straight and Two Inlets. Spring electrofishing to sample Largemouth Bass showed a lower catch rate than past samplings on Belle Taine, but had a higher average size. Largemouth Bass ranged from 5 to 19 inches, with most fish 12-15 inches. Smallmouth Bass were also sampled, and their numbers were higher than past samplings with a higher average size. Smallmouth Bass ranged from 8-19.5 inches, with most fish 12-17 inches. Walleye abundance in 2016 was consistent with previous years, and at the high end of lakes in lake class 25. Many Walleyes are 11-23 inches in length, with an average length of 16.5 inches and the largest sampled at 24 inches. Yellow Perch are important forage for Walleyes and Northern Pike, and their abundance was in line with class 25 lakes. Perch had an average size of 6.5 inches and were sampled up to 11 inches. Northern Pike were sampled in similar abundance compared to other lake class 25 lakes, and in line with past surveys. Pike ranged from 11.5 inches to 30.5 inches in length. The average size of 21 inches and 2 pounds was similar to past surveys. There are angling opportunities for panfish including Black Crappie, Bluegill and Pumpkinseed. Black Crappie abundance were on the high end of lakes class 25 lakes, and fish ranged from 4-12 inches. Bluegill and Pumpkinseed abundance was similar to recent years on Belle Taine, but on the low end of lake class 25 lakes. Most fish are small, with the majority of fish at 3-6 inches. Currently, no Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) have been identified in Belle Taine 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.

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

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

Belle Taine has a maximum depth of 56 feet and a mean depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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