Scooty

Scooty Lake is a 160 acre lake located 15 miles north of Nashwauk, MN in the Mississippi River watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 75 feet. The water is soft, has fairly low fertility, and is moderately stained. Scooty Lake has two small inlets draining lowland areas on the north and west sides of the lake. The lake also has one outlet that flows to Wolf Lake and the Prairie River system. The Scooty Lake fish community is typical of many small, infertile lakes in northern Minnesota. The lake is dominated by warm water species, such as Largemouth Bass, sunfish, and Black Crappie. Species diversity is limited and the lake does not support a cold water fish community. The Fisheries Lake Management Plan (LMP) was last revised in 2004. The 2004 LMP listed Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie as the primary management species, and Northern Pike and Walleye as secondary species. A fish survey consisting of trap nets and gill nets was conducted in August of 2019 to determine the status of the fish community and provide information to anglers. Trap net catches for Largemouth Bass have generally been above average compared to similar lakes, suggesting that bass are an important component of the fishery. Captured bass ranged from 10.1 to 16.1 inches and averaged 12.4 inches. Age estimates suggest an average growth rate with fish averaging 15 inches by age 6. Five year classes were present (ages 1-6) and recruitment appeared inconsistent. Electrofishing was not accomplished in 2019 due to workload constraints due to a late ice out but previous surveys suggest moderate abundance with limited size quality. Good angling opportunities appear to exist for moderate sized bass. Scooty Lake has a history of relatively low Northern Pike numbers. The 2019 catch remained low compared to similar lakes, and below average for Scooty Lake. Low pike numbers are often desirable, however. Growth is slow and size quality is typically poor when pike occur in high numbers. High pike numbers may also limit production of other gamefish, including Walleye. Size structure was relatively poor in previous surveys, despite apparently low densities, and few fish over the preferred size of 28 inches were sampled. Pike size quality was moderate in 2019, as lengths ranged from 20.6 to 29.2 inches and fish averaged 23.4 inches. Eleven percent of sampled pike exceeded 28 inches. Growth was near the statewide average as fish averaged 22.5 inches by age 4. Five year classes were present (ages 1-6) but recruitment appeared to be inconsistent as most fish belonged to the 2016 year class. Anglers can help maintain or improve size quality by limiting harvest to fish under 22 inches. Trap net catches for Black Crappie have been typical when compared to similar lakes. The 2019 catch was typical for the lake and exceeded the LMP goal. Black Crappie size structure has varied overtime, suggesting inconsistent year class production. Size quality was very poor in 2003, due mostly to the large proportion of young fish in the sample. Size structure was better in 2019, when crappie ranged from 4.1 to 12.8 inches and averaged 7.2 inches. Growth was near the statewide average as crappie averaged 7.6 inches by age 4. Five year classes were present (ages 1-5) and recruitment appeared consistent in recent years. No fish exceeded age 5, however, suggesting high adult mortality often attributed to angler harvest or poor reproduction prior to 2014. Bluegill catch rates have been relatively low in recent surveys and the 2019 survey produced the lowest catch on record. Bluegill size structure was relatively poor in most surveys due to very slow growth. Size structure remained poor in 2019, as Bluegill ranged from 3.5 to 8.2 inches and averaged 5.8 inches. Poor size quality may limit the popularity of the fishery. Lakes with similar habitats rarely support large Walleye populations. Very few Walleye have been sampled in Scooty Lake, despite stocking on several occasions in the 1970's and 1980's. A low-density Walleye population has been maintained by natural reproduction and/or immigration from the Prairie River. Only three Walleye were captured in the 2019 survey and those fish were relatively large, ranging from 23 to 25 inches. Yellow Perch have not been captured in the last three surveys, and they were sampled in very low numbers in prior surveys. A lack of perch likely limits pike and Walleye. Other species sampled in past surveys include Hybrid and Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead. Aquatic Invasive Species were not found in 2019. Anglers and boaters are reminded to help stop the spread of invasive species by removing all aquatic plants from boats, trailers, and equipment. All drain plugs must be removed and live and bait wells must be drained before leaving the access. Anglers and boaters are encouraged to power wash and thoroughly dry all equipment prior to use in another water body.

Scooty Lake is a 160 acre bass-panfish lake located 15 miles north of Nashwauk, MN. The lake has moderately stained water (8.5 ft visibility) and a maximum depth of 75 feet. Scooty Lake has very soft water and low fertility. There is a county-owned boat access and campground on the southwest shore off County Road #53.Largemouth bass appeared to be relatively abundant; the 2003 trap-net catch was above the lake class average at 2.0/net. Night electrofishing (a better method to sample bass) was also conducted in early June 2003, capturing 32.3 fish/hr of on-time. Largemouth bass size structure was modest in both assessment gears. Electrofishing sampled bass from 2.4 to 15.4 inches with an average length of 9.0 inches. Largemouth bass from trap nets had an average length of 10.9 inches. Although few bass over 15 inches were sampled, angler reports suggest they are more abundant than the assessment indicates. Analysis of scales indicated consistent annual reproduction. Growth of largemouth bass was slightly below the statewide average.Bluegill numbers have been low in recent assessments. The 2003 trap net catch was below average for this lake class at 8.2/net. Bluegill size structure was rather poor. Bluegill in the trap net sample had a mean length of 6.1 inches, with only two fish in the sample over 8 inches. Bluegill were not aged in this assessment, but previous assessments have noted very slow growth of bluegill.Trap net catches for black crappie have been at or above the lake class average in all assessments. The trap net catch in 2003 was 6.2/net. Black crappie size structure was very poor, due mostly to the large proportion of young fish in the sample. Age 2 and 3 crappie made up 77% of the fish captured. Sampled crappie ranged from 4.0 to 11.1 inches, but the average length was only 6.3 inches. Growth of black crappie was below the statewide average for all ages.Northern pike catch rates have generally been below the lake class average (4.5/gill net) in most assessments. The trap net catch in 2003 was 3.7/net. Size structure was relatively poor. Gill-net sampled pike ranged from 16.5 to 33.8 inches, with an average length of 21.0 inches. Analysis of scales indicated fairly consistent reproduction; ages 2-6 and age 8 were represented in the sample. Growth was near the statewide average for all ages.Two walleye (each approximately 25 inches long) were sampled in the gill nets, and a smaller individual was captured in a trap net. No walleye have been stocked in Scooty Lake since 1989. A low-density population is being maintained by natural reproduction. Yellow perch have not been captured in test-nets in the last two assessments, and they were sampled in very low numbers in prior surveys. The lack of a yellow perch prey base is likely a limiting factor for the production of gamefish like northern pike and walleye. Other species sampled included: hybrid and pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass and yellow bullhead. As lakes like Scooty become increasingly more developed, lakeshore owners will have a larger impact on their future. In order to maintain or improve fish and wildlife populations, water quality and habitat must be protected. Although the effect of land use decisions on one lake lot may seem relatively small, the cumulative impact of many lakeshore owners "fixing up" their property can result in a significant decline in water quality and habitat. For example, removing shoreline and aquatic vegetation, installing sand beach blankets, fertilizing lawns, mowing to the waters edge, uncontrolled run-off and failing septic systems all contribute excess nutrients and sediment which degrade water quality and habitat. Understanding these impacts and taking steps to avoid or minimize them will help to insure our quality fisheries can be enjoyed by future generations.

This survey sampled walleyes at a gillnet CPUE of 1.5. Walleye fingerlings were stocked in 1984, fry in 1985, yearlings in 1986, and fingerlings again in 1988. Only two year classes were represented in this assessment, 1985 and 1988. Although fry were stocked in 1985, it is believed that the 1986 stocking included fish that were 1+ year old. The median gillnet CPUE for walleye for this ecological lake classification is 1.3 with a first and third quartile range of 0.5 to 3.3.Northern pike, although they were never abundant, are at very low levels as indicated by a gillnet CPUE of 0.3 in this assessment.No yellow perch were sampled in the gill nets or trap nets and only two were seined. Past surveys also indicated very low perch abundance. Bluegill abundance decreased over the past surveys to 8.0/trapnet. Growth rates of these fish are considered very slow. Three year old bluegill had a mean length of 3.0 inches (N=8) and seven year old bluegill had a mean of 5.5 inches (N=13).

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch in Scooty. 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 Scooty. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Scooty has a maximum depth of 75 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Scooty is from 2019.

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