Moonshine

Moonshine Lake is 25 acres and located in the Chippewa National Forest and administered by the U.S. Forest Service. The lake is located within the Trout Lake Semi-primitive Non-motorized Area. The entire area is closed to all motorized traffic or use except for Forest Road #3494. There is a small, earthen, carry-in access and multiple shore-fishing spots located at the end of #3494. The 2021 management plan lists Rainbow Trout as a primary management species with a goal of providing a put-and-take trout fishery. Moonshine Lake is a designated trout lake and has been managed as such since 1961. Rainbow Trout have been stocked annually since 1968. Past management mainly consisted of fall fingerling stocking with a put-grow-take philosophy. Success was inconsistent and generally fell short of management goals. Poor over-summer survival was speculated. Stocking was adjusted to annual, fall yearling stocking with the 2021 management plan. The Rainbow Trout catch rate was 0.5/net. The sampled fish averaged 15.3 inches and are from the 2022 stocking. These fish were two years old and demonstrated annual survival. This prolonged survival is conducive to attaining management goals. The adjusted stocking plan appeared to align with management goals.

Moonshine is a 25-acre lake in the Mississippi River drainage located within the Chippewa National Forest near Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The surrounding land is owned and administered by the U.S. Forest Service. Moonshine Lake is located in the Trout Lake semi-primitive non-motorized area. All interior lakes, except Trout and Spider lakes, and all roads, except Forest Road #3494 into Moonshine, are closed to motorized traffic, but foot travel is welcome. A carry-in boat access and two walk-in shore fishing sites, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, and located at the end of Forest road #3494. Existing habitat is protected through Federal ownership and the non-motorized designation. The lake is a designated stream trout lake and has been managed for trout by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources since 1961. Since 1988, a Rainbow Trout population has been maintained by annually stocking Kamloops strain fingerlings in the fall using a put-grow-and take stocking strategy. These fish are typically small (X inches?) when stocked, and must survive at least a year to contribute to angler success. The Fisheries Lake Management Plan (LMP) was last revised in 2013. Goals of the LMP were to provide a Rainbow Trout fishery with a trap net catch greater than 3.0/trap net with 10% of the fish exceeding a quality size of 13 inches. Another goal was to provide opportunities for "trophy" (greater than 20") Rainbow Trout. A population assessment was conducted on Moonshine Lake in 2020 to assess the status of the Rainbow Trout population and determine the relative survival of stocked fingerlings. Dissolved oxygen testing was conducted in late August, while the lake was stratified. Test netting was conducted in October. The assessment consisted of 20 trap nets and two gill net sets. Suitable conditions for trout are limited to the upper, warmer layer during mid and late summer because dissolved oxygen levels drop rapidly near a depth of 9 to 10 feet. Rainbow trout are exposed to water temperatures in the low 70 degrees F, near the upper limit of their tolerance range, to access sufficient oxygen levels. In 2020, water temperatures remained above 70 degrees F to a depth of 7 ft. Dissolved oxygen testing resulted in a profile with low oxygen at a depth of nine feet, indicating a very narrow band of cold-water habitat for trout survival. Previous surveys found that despite marginal summer conditions, stocked Rainbow Trout fingerlings often survived long enough to provide angling opportunities and frequently reaching management goals. In fact, trout up to 20 inches were sampled in some surveys. The 2020 survey suggests that conditions in recent years have been less suitable for trout survival. Only two trout were captured in 2020. The sampled fish were 12.5 and 19.6 inches long. The lack of smaller trout and the poor late summer temperature and oxygen profile suggest over-summer survival was too poor for adequate recruitment to occur, resulting in the lowest catch rates observed for the lake. Stocked trout fisheries often depend on one or two year-classes due to their short life spans in in-land lakes, so short-term periods of poor catch rates are not uncommon. Fingerling trout were stocked in the fall of 2020 with hopes of better conditions for recruitment in the near future. Other species captured include Fathead Minnows, Finescale Dace, and Brook Stickleback. Introduction of non-trout species is detrimental to successful trout management in lakes. Anglers are reminded that the use of live minnows is prohibited in designated trout lakes.

Moonshine is a 25 acre lake in the Mississippi River drainage located within the Chippewa National Forest near Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The surrounding land is owned and administered by the US Forest Service. Moonshine Lake is located in the Trout Lake Semi-primitive Non-motorized Area. All interior lakes, except Trout and Spider Lakes, and all roads, except Forest Road #3494 into Moonshine, are closed to motorized traffic, but foot travel is welcome. A carry-in boat access and two walk-in shore fishing sites, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, are located on the east shore from the parking lot at the end of Forest road #3494. Existing habitat is protected through Federal ownership and the non-motorized designation. The lake is a designated stream trout lake and has been managed for trout by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources since 1961. The trout population has been maintained in recent years by annual stocking of the Kamloop strain of fingerling rainbow trout in the fall, although the most recent stocking occurred in the spring of 2012 and consisted of Kamloop yearlings. A population assessment was conducted on Moonshine Lake in 2012 to assess the status of the rainbow trout population and determine the relative survival of stocked yearlings. Dissolved oxygen testing was conducted in late July, while the lake was stratified. Test netting was conducted in October. The assessment consisted of 10 half inch mesh trap nets set twice each for a total of 20 sets. Gill nets were not used as a sufficient sample size was achieved with the trap nets. Two minnow traps were set to determine if other species were present. Past sampling indicated that suitable conditions for trout becomes limited to the upper warm layer during mid and late summer, as dissolved oxygen levels drop rapidly at the top of the thermocline or at about a depth of 9 to10 feet. Rainbow trout are exposed to water temperatures in the low 70 degrees F, near the upper limit of their tolerance to access sufficient oxygen levels. Dissolved oxygen testing in late July of 2012 resulted in an abnormal profile with oxygen below 2.0 ppm at a depth of ten feet (57.2 deg F), but oxygen then recovered to 4.7 ppm at 20 feet (43.3 deg F). This phenomenon was noted on other area lakes in 2012. Trap netting yielded a total of 161 rainbow trout for a catch rate of 8.1/trap net. The catch was similar to the previous assessment, when 20 trap net sets yielded 166 trout for a catch of 8.3/ trap net. Captured trout ranged from 6.7 to 17.9 inches with a mean length of 10.0 inches. Most captured trout (n=155) were likely a result of the 2012 spring stocking of yearling Kamploops. These fish were stocked as relatively small yearlings (approximately 6/pound and 7.5 inches in length). Fish from this stocking grew 2.2 inches on average over the summer to average 9.7 inches at the time of capture in October. Six trout exceeded 14.8 inches and were likely from a 2010 fall stocking of fingerlings. Other species captured include fathead minnows, finescale dace, and brook stickleback. Moonshine Lake continues to provide unique opportunities to catch rainbow trout in the Grand Rapids area. Poor size structure may limit the popularity of the fishery, however, as only 4% of the catch exceeded 13 inches and no trophy trout were captured. Rainbow trout rarely survive beyond three years in Moonshine Lake, most likely because of angler mortality due to the susceptibility to harvest. Anglers can help improve the quality of the trout fishery by voluntarily reducing harvest and releasing large trout. Anglers are reminded that the use of live minnows is prohibited in designated trout lakes. Introduction of non-trout species is detrimental to successful trout management in lakes.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, and Bluegill in Moonshine. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Moonshine has a maximum depth of 68 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Moonshine is from 2020.

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