King

King Lake is a 296-acre lake located 17 miles north of Taconite, MN. The lake is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of 23 ft and a littoral area of 141 acres. The lake has an outlet to Balsam Lake on the south shore. Water levels are controlled by a small control structure on the outlet and is a migration barrier for fish moving upstream. Water quality is a concern on King Lake. The Secchi disk transparency on August 17th was 3.0 ft and dissolved oxygen was less than 2.0 ppm below 11.0 ft. Both measures indicate a very eutrophic system in an area of the county which generally has much better water clarity. The lakeshore is almost entirely privately owned and there is a carry down access with a steep trail to the lake on the west shore. The access trail is posted as nonmotorized. Fishing pressure is considered moderate to light based on the primitive access. Northern pike gill-net catch was 8.8/net and was within the expected range for similar lakes. Catch rates in past assessments varied from 2.0 to 8.3/net. Size structure was good for fish 28 inches or less, but few fish were sampled greater than 28 inches. Growth was faster than the statewide average for fish ages 1 to 3, and similar to the average for fish ages 4 to 7. Northern pike averaged 25.3 inches by age 5. Black crappie gill net catch was 26.3/net which was much higher than the expected range. The trap net catch rate of 10.1/net was also higher than the expected range. Catch rates in past assessments have been highly variable from 3.0 to 33.3/gill net. Although a few larger fish were sampled, size structure was poor with most fish sampled between 6 to 7.5 inches. Size structure may improve if this large year class survives two more years to grow large enough to interest anglers. Largemouth bass were sampled by spring electrofishing for the first time in this assessment. The catch rate was 46.0 fish/hour, indicating an abundant population. Size structure was good with fish up to 19 inches sampled. Growth was similar to the statewide average with fish averaging 13.7 inches at age 5. Bluegill trap net catch was 18.1/net and was similar to the expected range for similar lakes. Catch rates in past assessments varied from 4.3 to 59.5/trap net. Growth was slightly faster than the statewide average for most years and fish averaged 8.0 inches by age 7. Size structure was generally poor with few fish sampled greater than 8 inches. Size structure may improve if a strong 2005 year class survives three more years. Gill nets sampled 31 walleye in this assessment for a catch rate of 5.2/net, which was towards the upper end of the expected range for similar lakes. The catch rate in past assessments varied from 0 to 3.3/net, however, walleye were not sampled prior to the 1992 assessment. Size structure was good and all fish sampled were between 20 and 27 inches. Growth was similar to the statewide average with fish averaging 22.0 inches by age 9. King Lake was stocked with walleye fingerlings under permit by a private party in 1992, 1998, and 2000. More than 50% of the walleye sampled in this assessment were from the 2000 year class, six fish were from the 1998 year class, and at least two were from the 1992 year class. Based on this assessment and the lack of suitable spawning substrate, the walleye population in King Lake is maintained entirely through stocking. Yellow perch catch rate was 25.0/gill net and was within the expected range. The catch rate in past assessments has varied from 7.0 to 77.8/gill net. Size structure was poor with few fish exceeding 9 inches. Other species sampled include brown bullhead, golden shiner, pumpkinseed sunfish, white sucker, and rock bass. Lakeshore owners may affect fish populations not only through harvesting fish, but also through land use practices. It is important to leave a 30 to 50 ft buffer strip of native vegetation along the shoreline to prevent erosion and provide habitat for fish and wildlife. Nonfunctioning septic systems can also lead to water quality problems. Good water quality and fish populations are the direct result of good land use practices. Anglers can also help to improve the size structure of the fish community by releasing larger fish.

King lake is a 296 acre lake located in northern Itasca County 17 miles north of Taconite, MN. Roughly half (47%) of the lake is littoral area with a maximum depth of 23 ft. A carry-in public access was constructed in 1997. The fish community is primarily composed of northern pike, largemouth bass, panfish, and walleye.Northern pike gill-net catch was 8.3/set which is within the expected range for similar lakes. Size structure was good with several fish exceeding 28 inches. Growth of northern pike was also excellent and exceeded statewide averages for ages 1 to 6. Six year old northern pike averaged 28 inches. In order to maintain the quality size structure, anglers should consider releasing northern pike over 24 inches.Largemouth bass gill-net catch and trap-net catch were near the lower end of the expected range for similar lakes. Sample size was too small to reliably estimate size structure, however, the largest fish sampled was 14 inches. In general, largemouth bass avoid traditional sampling gear, thus it is difficult to get an accurate assessment of their population in routine assessments. Walleye gill-net catch was 3.3/set which is within the expected range for similar lakes. The size structure was good with some fish exceeding 20 inches. King Lake has been privately stocked in recent years, however, 14 of the 20 walleye sampled were from nonstocked years indicating that considerable natural reproduction has occurred. The contribution of stocked walleye was relatively small in comparison to naturally produced fish. Walleye growth was similar to statewide averages for ages 1 to 6 and slower than statewide averages for ages 7 and 8. Walleye in King Lake attain 19 inches in 7 years. Because most walleye in a lake greater than 19 inches are females, and it takes at least 7 years to replace a fish of this size, anglers should consider releasing walleye greater than 19 inches.Bluegill trap-net catch was 12.8/set which is within the expected range for similar lakes. Size structure was good with some fish exceeding 8 inches. Growth was slightly faster than similar lakes. Bluegill in King Lake did not reach preferred length of 8 inches until they are 10 years old. Because it takes so long to replace an 8 inch or larger bluegill, anglers should consider releasing a portion of their catch. Black crappie gill-net catch was 7.3/set which is much higher than the expected range for similar lakes. Size structure in trap nets was good with a few fish exceeding 9 inches. Black crappie growth was less than the statewide average and black crappie reached 9 inches in 7 years. Yellow perch gill-net catch was 10.3/set which is within the expected range for similar lakes. Size structure was poor with only 1 fish sampled over 9 inches.Other fish sampled include black bullhead, golden shiner, rock bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, and white sucker. Lakeshore owners affect fish populations not only through fishing, but also through land use practices. It is important to leave a 30 to 50 ft buffer of native vegetation along the shoreline to prevent lawn wastes and sediments from entering the lake. In addition, if fertilizers must be used, lakeshore owners should use a brand containing no phosphorus. Nonfunctioning septic systems can also lead to water quality problems. Good water quality and fish populations are the direct result of good land use practices.

The fish community in King Lake was compared to other lakes statewide with similar physical and chemical parameters associated with ecological lake class #29. Lake basins in this class are characterized as small (mean size=215 acres), relatively shallow (mean maximum depth=33.5 ft.), and predominately littoral (64% of lake basin has less tha 15 feet of water). The water in these lakes is moderately hard (mean alkalinity=90.0 ppm) and relatively clear (mean Secchi disk=10.0 ft.). Thirty-one lakes in Itasca County are grouped into this class which includes lakes such as Orange, Stingy, Burnt Shanty, Eagle, Five Island, Johnson (north of Marcell), Jay Gould, Little Bass, Dunbar, Lower Panasa, Little Splithand, and Little Moose Lakes.Gill net and trap net catches indicated that the present fish community consisted of northern pike, laregemouth bass, and walleye as the dominant piscivores (fish eating) species. Yellow perch appeared to be the most abundant prey species, while other secondary species that may provide some forage base included bluegill, pumpkinseed, black crappie, and rock bass. Shoreline seining also indicated that several species of minnows (predominately shiner species) were available for forage. The dominant species for lakes in class #29 include northern pike, largemouth bass, yellow bullhead, pumpkinseed, bluegill, and yellow perch. King Lake has a similar community structure, with the exception of a high abundance of black crappie and no yellow bullheads.Gill net and trap net catches (CPUE's) were evaluated with quartiles developed by Schupp for lake class #29. Speices with net catches (CPUE's) between the first and third quartile values can be viewed as normal for this lake type. Species included in this group from King Lake included largemouth bass, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, and rock bass. Species with net catches (CPUE's) below the first quartile or above the third quartile should be viewed as unusual.Northern pike net catches (gill net CPUE) were below the first quartile range, indicating a lower than usual abundance. This low abundance was reflected by a population of larger than normal individual fish. The average northern pike captured in the gill net catch was 28.2 inches long and weighed 5.2 pounds. There was a 71% chance that a captured fish was 4 or 5 years old. Northern pike in these year classes also exhibited relatively fast growth. They attained 24 inches slightly after the third year, while statewide, northern pike attain 24 inches late in their fourth year of life. After attaining age 5 their growth tended to slow down. This change in growth rate may be related to the size and abundance of forage in the lake.Yellow perch and panfish provide most of the forage for age 1+ northern pike. These prey species may be adequately abundant to provide good growth until northern pike reach larger sizes. These prey species provide forage sizes up to about 9 inches. As northern pike attain larger sizes they prefer larger forage (>10 inches) to continue good growth. Net catches indicated that larger sized prey such as white sucker or tullibee are not available in this lake.Another growth limiting factor for northern pike may be the lack of mid summer cool water habitat. Dissolved oxygen levels dropped below 2.0 ppm between 14 and 15 feet in the water column or at the top of the thermocline where water temperatures were still in the high 60's.There was a lack of smaller age 1-3 northern pike in the net catches, indicating low recruitment. Causes for poor recruitment are speculative at best. Natural reproduction may be limited due to small areas available for spawning and inadequate spring water levels to flood these adjacent marshes. Juvenile northern pike may also have high mortality due to inter-specific competition from high panfish populations (primarily black crappies).Bluegill and black crappie net catches were above the third quartile, indicating unusually high abundance for a lake in class #29. The net catches (CPUE's) for bluegills (26.3 per gill net and 55.7 per trap net) and black crappies (33.3 per gill net and 7.0 per trap net) were also historically high. The bluegill net catches were predominately 6-8 inch fish (97% in gill nets and 64% in trap nets) while the black crappie net catches consisted of mainly 8-10 inch fish (90% in gill nets and 31% in trap nets). A sample of forty-one bluegills revealed that all age groups were captured but age groups 3 and 5 were most frequent in the net catches. A sample of forty-eight black crappies also indicated that the net catches consisted of all age groups, but age groups 2, 4, and 5 contained the highest percentage of fish (33%, 27% and 19% respectively). Growth rates for panfish appeared to be slower than statewide. Bluegill attained six inches at age 5 while statewide they attained this length at age 4. Black crappies attained 8 inches at age 5 while statewide they attain this length at age 4. These size achievements were selected for comparisons since they are proposed minimum lengths for determining the percentage of quality sized fish from a stock. Growth rate comparisons with other lakes in same lake class were not available.Walleye have recently been introduced by the lake association. Walleye finglerings (1,000) were first stocked during the fall of 1988 and again (1,500) in 1992. The entire walleye net catch (n=11), (1.8 fish per gill net) consisted of age 4 fish presumably from the 1988 planting. Walleyes have not been present in any previous test nettings. These fish had very good growth, as the average back calculated length at the fourth annulus formation was 17.7 inches and the average length at capture (8/12-8/13/92) was 19.0 inches. Statewide, walleyes don't achieve 17.7 inches until the beginning of their fifth year and 19.0 inches at the end of their fifth year.The effect of adding another predator to the fish community should be approached with caution. The present stocking of walleye fingerlings (1992) by the lake association was done on top of a low perch abundance. There will be an abundant source of small forage for the 1992 walleyes but as they approach larger sizes (greater than 14 inches) they will need larger prey that may not be available if the perch population doesn't rebound.Net catches of largemouth bass were low and due to the poor mid summer catchability with trap nets and gill nets, no conclusions should be drawn about the abundance and size structure. Despite low net catches, those that were aged (n=9) indicated normal growth. The sample consisted of five age 2, two age 3, and two age 4 fish. Back calcualted lengths at last annulus formation (6.6 inches at 2, 9.5 inches at 3, 11.5 at 4) were very similar to those values found in the 1970 lake survey manual.

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

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

King has a maximum depth of 23 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in King is from 2009. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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