Paine

Paine Lake is located in northern Hubbard County, adjacent to the town of Lake George. Paine Lake is a very shallow lake, with a surface area of 239 acres and a maximum depth of only 6 feet. A county-owned public access and park is located on the north shore of the lake. Paine Lake is subject to occasional partial winterkill, however a gamefish population always seems to be present. Paine Lake provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Paine Lake is in lake class 39. Class 39 lakes are characterized by being shallow, having a littoral area (less than 15 feet in depth), and having a regular shaped shoreline. Other class 39 lakes in the local area include Hennepin and Minnie. Paine Lake supports a good Northern Pike population and angling for them is popular both summer and winter. While not known for producing large fish, Paine Lake does support good numbers of small to medium size pike. Sampled Northern Pike had an average length and weight of 21.3 inches and 1.8 pounds, with pike measured up to 29.5 inches. Good populations of Bluegill and Pumpkinseed are found in Paine Lake. Anglers will find most Bluegill and Pumpkinseed in the 6-8 inch size range. A Largemouth Bass population is present in Paine Lake, however abundance and sizes of bass are limited by periodic winterkill events. Other species sampled included Yellow Perch, Walleye, Common Shiner, Yellow Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, and hybrid sunfish. Currently no Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) have been identified in Paine 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 boats before leaving the access.

Paine Lake is a very shallow lake located in northern Hubbard County adjacent to the town of Lake George. Paine Lake has a surface area of 259 acres but has a maximum depth of only 6 feet. A county-owned access and park is located on the north end of the lake. Sparse scattered stands of hardstem bulrush are common on the west and south ends of the lake. Due to the shallow depth, Paine Lake is subject to periodic partial "winterkill" events. Winterkill usually happens during long winters with heavy snowfall. Oxygen production through photosynthesis is limited due to snow and ice blocking sunlight from penetrating the water column. At the same time decaying aquatic vegetation on the lake bottom uses oxygen, causing oxygen levels in the lake to drop. Shallow lakes with heavy aquatic vegetation growth are more likely to winterkill than are deep-water lakes. Gamefish such as largemouth bass, bluegill, and walleye are less tolerant of low oxygen levels than are black bullheads and northern pike. Only periodic partial winterkills are happening on Paine Lake as a game fish population always seems to be present. Fish population surveys on Paine Lake have only been conducted in 1991 and 2001. Paine Lake provides angling for northern pike and panfish.The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical and chemical characteristics. Paine Lake is in lake class 39. Other lakes in this same classification include: First and Fourth Crow Wing Lakes, Hungryman, Peysenski, and Portage.Paine Lake supports a good northern pike population and angling for them is popular both summer and winter. While not known for producing large fish, Paine Lake does support good numbers of small to medium size pike. Sampled northern pike had an average length and weight of 22.1 inches and 2.8 pounds. Northern pike in Paine Lake have slow growth rates when compared to other area lakes.Bluegill and pumpkinseed were abundant, with the trapnet catch rate of both species above the range "typical" for this lake class. While numbers of bluegill and pumpkinseed were high, size was small with most panfish in the 5 to 6 inch range. Moderate numbers of largemouth bass were found in Paine Lake, however, periodic winterkills may be limiting bass abundance and size distribution. Sampled largemouth bass ranged in length from 6 to 13 inches.Yellow perch were abundant, however few perch are of an acceptable size for angling. Sampled yellow perch had an average length of 7.3 inches with fish measured up to 9.3 inches. Other species sampled in low numbers include yellow bullhead, brown bullhead, and common shiner.

Catch rates of northern pike (1.30 fish/trapnet and 2.13 lbs/trapnet) were within the normal ranges for lake class 39 of the Schupp Classification System. Mean weight sampled was 1.64 lbs. with lengths ranging from 13.0 to 28.7 inches. Northern pike exhibit good growth through age 3, after which growth rates decrease sharply. Mean length at age 5 is 20.92 inches. The decline in growth, plus variability in length apparent among year classes may be the result of a low prey base.Largemouth bass catches (7.40 fish/trapnet and 4.52 lbs/trapnet) were above the third quartile for lakes of this classification. The PSD (23) and RSD-P (9) indicate a small size structure, however, some bass are attaining lengths preferred by anglers. This was a large sample for trapnets, but size distribution may not be accurately represented. Largemouth bass growth rates are slow, averaging 7.32 inches at age 3.Bluegill and pumpkinseed catch rates were within the normal ranges. Both species appear to have good size structures and growth. Bluegill average 4.69 inches at age 3 and have a stable size distribution (PSD=60, RSD-P=6). Average length at age 3 for pumpkinseed is 3.85 inches. From the pumpkinseed PSD (72), it would appear that few substock fish are present in the population, however, these sizes may not have been efficiently sampled. Catches of yellow perch were below the first quartile, as only 3 fish were sampled. Catch rates of rock bass, yellow bullhead, and brown bullhead were also below the first quartile for lakes of this class.

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

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Paine. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Paine has a maximum depth of 6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Paine is from 2016. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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