Timber

Timber Lake is a 192-acre lake, located in northern Jackson County, near the City of Wilder. The lake has a maximum depth of eight feet. Timber Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch and secondarily for Walleye and Black Crappie. Despite frequent winterkills, the Northern Pike and Yellow Perch populations have been consistently maintained over the last couple of decades. Walleye were first stocked in 2019 to control the highly abundant Yellow Perch and Black Bullhead populations. Northern Pike have been stocked sporadically over the last decade, mostly limited by availability. During the late 1980's and early 1990's, Timber Lake had a decent Black Crappie population, which all but disappeared in the 2004 survey. In an effort to reestablish the Black Crappie population in Timber Lake, it was stocked with adults in 2017. Yellow Perch have not been stocked recently because they sustain themselves through natural reproduction. A survey was conducted the week of July 5, 2022 to monitor the fish population using one gill net and eight trap nets. Northern Pike catch rates have varied from 0.0 per gill net in 2016 to 11.7 per gill net in 1994, and have averaged 3.4 per gill net since 1985. The 2022 Northern Pike catch rate was 5.0 per gill net which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.1 to 8.0 per gill net). Overall, Northern Pike size structure was small, with lengths ranging from 18.3 to 24.4 inches and averaging 20.4 inches. The Northern Pike that were sampled were likely the result of fingerling stocking in the fall of 2021, when 1,370 fingerlings were stocked, equaling a little over seven Pike per acre. Northern Pike were plump, likely signaling that Pike foraged heavily on the highly abundant Yellow Perch population. Timber Lake should be a great place to target Northern Pike in the near future. Timber Lake is within the "southern zone" of the Northern Pike zone regulations, so two Pike longer than 24 inches can be harvested. Northern Pike under 24 inches must be released. Yellow Perch have historically been highly abundant in Timber Lake with catch rates up to 245.0 per gill net in 2016. In 2022, the catch rate decreased dramatically to 4.0 per gill net, which is the lowest catch rate observed in survey history. The dramatic decrease could be the result of predation on Yellow Perch by the 2019 Walleye year class and the Northern Pike that were stocked as adults in 2018 and fingerlings in 2021. A second possibility is that Yellow Perch movement was limited during the survey, thus not getting entangled in the gill net. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 4.4 to 7.2 inches and averaged 5.8 inches. Yellow Perch were plump indicating that they are foraging successfully. Abundant predators may help improve the size structure of Yellow Perch in Timber Lake. Walleye were first stocked in Timber Lake in 2019 with goals of creating a Walleye rearing pond and as an additional predator to control Yellow Perch and Black Bullhead populations. Additional Walleye fry stockings have occurred in 2021 and 2022. In the 2022 survey, the Walleye catch rate was 8.0 per gill net, which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.3 to 18.1 per gill net). All of the Walleye sampled were age-3, indicating that the 2019 stocking was successful. Walleyes ranged in length from 18.2 to 19.8 inches and averaged 19.0 inches. Walleye in Timber Lake grow fast as they averaged 19.0 inches at age-3. Walleye were also foraging effectively and are plump. While Walleye fingerlings were never harvested out of Timber Lake, it appears that predator management may be having an effect on the Yellow Perch population. Additionally, a Walleye fishery has been established which produced a good walleye bite during the winter of 2021-2022. Timber Lake used to have a Black Crappie population in the late 1980's and the early 1990's, so adult Black Crappie were stocked in 2017 to reestablish a fishable population. Thus far, the Black Crappie have failed to produce a fishery and appear to be very scarce in Timber Lake, as there were zero Black Crappie sampled in the 2022 survey. The Black Bullhead catch rates was 91.0 per gill net which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (30.3 to 150.6 per gill net). Lengths of Black Bullheads ranged from 5.0 to 11.5 inches and averaged 6.4 inches. Other species sampled included Bigmouth Buffalo, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Orangespotted Sunfish, White Crappie, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Timber Lake is a 192-acre lake located in northern Jackson County, near the City of Wilder. The lake has a maximum depth of eight feet. Because of its winterkill history, Timber Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch and secondarily for Black Crappie. Despite frequent winterkills, the Northern Pike and Yellow Perch populations have been consistently maintained over the last couple of decades. A survey was conducted the week of July 5, 2016 to monitor the fish population using one gill net and nine trap nets. Yellow Perch are abundant in Timber Lake and were captured at a rate of 245.0 per gill net in 2016, much greater than catch rates we would expect to see in similar lakes (2.7 to 25.0 per gill net) and much greater than the long term average of 94.5 per gill net. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 4.3 to 10.5 inches and averaged 6.9 inches. Timber Lake has been an angling destination for the last couple of winters because of the steady action provided by the numerous Yellow Perch. The Northern Pike catch rate was 0.0 per gill net, which is below the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes. Five Northern Pike were sampled in trap nets (0.6 per trap net), which is below the long term average of catch rates of 1.5 per trap net. Although not abundant, Northern Pike were large with lengths ranging from 24.7 to 34.0 inches and averaging 28.0 inches. 317 Adult Northern Pike were stocked in 2013, and 1,320 fingerling Northern Pike were stocked in the spring of 2016. If successful, the recent Northern Pike stockings should increase the number of Northern Pike in Timber Lake. From 1985 to 1998, Black Crappie catch rates averaged 10.8 per trap net and reportedly provided good angling in the 1990's. Zero Black Crappies were sampled in the 2016 survey. Black Crappies are more vulnerable to low dissolved oxygen levels than the other managed species, so the population was likely decimated by frequent winterkills. If available, Black Crappies will be stocked in 2017 and after winterkill events. The Black Bullhead catch rate was 30.0 per gill net and 16.2 per trap net, which are both low compared to similar lakes. Black Bullhead lengths ranged from 4.7 to 10.5 inches and averaged 7.1 inches. The Common Carp catch rate was 1.4 per trap net, which is low compared to similar lakes. Other species sampled included Bigmouth Buffalo, Orangespotted Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Timber Lake, near Wilder, is a typical pothole prairie lake located about 5 miles south of Windom. Timber Lake has a maximum depth of around 8 feet and has a history of winterkill. A relatively consistent yellow perch/northern pike fishery seems to be maintained in spite of the partial winterkill history. Timber Lake is managed primarily for northern pike and secondarily for yellow perch and black crappie. A resurvey was conducted during the week of July 6, 2005 using 3 gill nets, 9 trap nets, and 3 seine hauls.The catch rate for northern pike was within the expected range (2.0/gill net) for the Windom Area. During the 2004 survey, total lengths ranged from 17 to 26 inches and averaged 19 inches. Only 2 year class of fish were sampled (2000 and 2002) which indicated the population may have limited habitat for natural reproduction. Northern pike catch rates have varied historically from 1.0/gill net in 1998 to 11.7/gill net in 1994. Most of the variation in catch rates among years for northern pike can be attributed to varying water levels at the time northern pike spawn. During years in which high water persists during the spawning and hatch period, northern pike are able to utilize the flooded vegetation and successfully reproduce. The high catch rate in 1994 was likely a result of the high water from 1993. Although numbers of northerns have been higher in other years, anglers do have the opportunity to catch some nice "toothies" on Timber Lake.The catch rate for yellow perch was nearly 3 times the normal range for Windom Area lakes. Total lengths ranged from 4 to 12 inches and averaged 8.5 inches. Great sizes of fish can be caught but may take some persistence to produce a stringer full of fillets. Six year class of yellow perch were sampled during the survey which indicated consistent natural reproduction. Natural reproduction appeared to be excellent as many Age 0 fish were sampled. Growth rates are quite good as an Age 4 perch was nearly 11 inches. The take home message is that if an angler is targeting yellow perch, Timber Lake is worth trying for an afternoon as good numbers and sizes are abundant.No black crappie were sampled during the 2004 survey which may indicate the population is in a building period. It is likely that the abundant perch population is dominating the panfish population.The black bullhead catch rate was within the expected range but most are small sized.The bigmouth buffalo catch rate was the highest ever recorded on Timber Lake while the common carp catch rate was the second highest ever recorded. The abundant bigmouth buffalo and common carp probably contribute to the limited submergent vegetation. A total of twelve species of fish were sampled during the 2004 survey. Other species sampled were fathead minnow, orangespotted sunfish, white sucker, and yellow bullhead.To promote and maintain healthy fish populations, pollution and other inputs need to be controlled. Fish habitats are directly affected by water quality. Nutrient, sediment and other waste inputs can drastically alter the biological, chemical, and physical components of a lake. It is paramount to maintain if not improve the current water quality of Timber Lake through watershed management to preserve this fishery for future generations to enjoy. Prepared by Ryan Doorenbos

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

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

Timber has a maximum depth of 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Timber is from 2022.

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