Pancake

Pancake Lake is in ecological lake class 31 and is located in near Goodland, MN, in the St Louis River Watershed. The lake is 122 acres and has a maximum depth of 33 feet. A survey targeting nearshore fish species was conducted by Area staff on 19 July, 2018. Ten sampling sites (100 feet long) were evenly spaced around the lake shore, sampling a variety of habitat types. Each site is sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-ft or 15-ft 1/8th inch mesh seine, depending on habitat condition. Shoreline seining was conducted at six sites; using only the 15-ft seine. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sites. Nearshore sampling captured a total of 12 different species; eight species by seining and 11 species by backpack electrofishing. The species can be found in the gear-specific catch tables in this report. Nearshore catches will be used with the gill net and trap net data from the standard survey conducted on 18 June, 2018, to calculate a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score which is indicative of lake health. The surveys will assist the watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Pancake Lake is a small lake near Goodland, Minnesota in southeastern Itasca County and the St. Louis River watershed. The lake has two inlets, receiving water from Pancake Creek and Teland Lake via Peters Creek. Water outlets to the west branch of the Floodwood River. The lake is undeveloped and surrounded by County administered land. There is a County owned boat access on the northeast side of the lake. The lake has bog-stained water and clarity averages about 7 feet. A band of emergent, floating-leaf and submerged aquatic vegetation exists out to a similar depth. The initial lake management plan (LMP) was drafted in 2014. Northern Pike and Black Crappie were considered primary management species and Bluegill were considered a secondary management species. A standard lake survey was conducted in 2018 to assess the status of the fish community. Pancake Lake has typically produced moderate numbers of Northern Pike with moderate size quality. In 2018 the gill-net catch increased to above the typical range for similar lakes. Higher than average pike numbers are not desirable and are usually associated with poor size quality. Northern Pike size structure was moderate in 2018; fish ranged from 13.4 to 34.2 inches with an average length of 23.0 inches. Ages 2 through 7 were represented with age 3 the most frequently sampled. Growth was considered good with pike averaging 25 inches at age 5. The north central pike zone regulation implemented in 2018 requires anglers release pike from 22-26 inches, while allowing for more harvest of small pike. It is hoped that this regulation will improve size quality on Pancake Lake. The Black Crappie population can generally be described as having moderate to high numbers, poor size structure and slow growth. The 2018 gill-net catch was average for Pancake Lake but higher than average compared to lakes with similar habitat. Size structure was poor; crappie averaged 7.0 inches from gill nets and 7.5 inches from trap nets. No crappie exceeding 9 inches have been captured in any survey. Ages 3 through 7 were represented with ages 3 and 5 the most frequently sampled. Growth was considered slow with crappie averaging 8.4 inches at age 6. The trap-net catch for Bluegill increased from previous surveys but was average compared to lakes with similar habitat. Size structure has been poor with no fish over 8 inches captured in previous surveys. Bluegill in 2018 ranged from 3.2 to 8.8 inches with an average length of 5.8 inches. Ages 3 through 10 were represented indicating frequent recruitment. Growth was typical for this type of lake with Bluegill averaging 6.6 inches at age 6. Poor size structure likely limits popularity of the Bluegill fishery. Yellow Perch catches have been within the typical range for similar lakes in all surveys. Gill-net sampled perch averaged 6.4 inches in 2018; too small to be of interest to anglers but an important prey for other gamefish. Other species sampled in test nets included Golden Shiner, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead.

ABUNDANCE AND SIZE OF NORTHERN PIKE ARE GOOD. BLACK CRAPPIE AND SUNFISH ARE ABUNDANT, BUT SMALL. YELLOW PERCH POPULATION IS VERY HIGH. LARGEMOUTH BASS WERE CAUGHT IN THE SHORELINE SEINE HAULS.

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

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

Pancake has a maximum depth of 34 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Pancake is from 2018. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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