Dark

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Dark Lake, was conducted August 11th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sampling stations, but five stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations and site conditions (i.e., dense aquatic vegetation) prevented the use of a seine at one station. A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by LBMA Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured seven species of fish, including one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead). Bluegill comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a June 2024 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Dark Lake may be adversely impacted by stressors, as indicated by an FIBI score below the general use impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. The FIBI results are similar to previous findings. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Dark Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Dark Lake was conducted on August 5-6, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations, but one station was sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, a 15-foot seine was used to sample four stations, and site conditions (i.e., Dense vegetation, soft substrates, and deep water) prevented the use of seines at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured seven species of fish. The nearshore was combined with gill net and trap net data from a June 2024 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. In addition to fish sampling, IBI program staff also conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Dark Lake on June 6, 2024, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 33 survey sites evenly spaced 150 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: the shoreline zone (i.e., the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), the shoreland zone (i.e., land-ward from shoreline to developed structure or 100 feet), and the aquatic zone (i.e., lake-ward 50 feet from the shoreline). The average lakewide habitat score was 88.7 (+/- 2.2) out of 100 possible. A score of 88.7 indicates the lakewide shoreline condition is high (i.e., 85-91.9). Approximately 21 percent of the sites were developed, with a mean score of 71.9 (+/- 6.2) indicating shoreline habitat quality of developed sites is moderate (i.e., 70-79.9), while undeveloped sites had a mean score of 93.2 (+/- 1.2) with Excellent (i.e., 92+) habitat quality. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the Dark Lake is assessed during the Upper/Lower Red Lake River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Dark is a 120-acre lake located in Koochiching County about 1 mile southeast of Gemmel, Minnesota. Dark is accessed via a concrete ramp on the north end of the lake, which also has a public fishing pier. The lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet and fairly abundant aquatic vegetation. The brown tinted water has approximately 12.5 feet of clarity. Dark is stocked with Walleye, but other gamefish species are present in good numbers. A standard fisheries survey was completed in Dark Lake during the summer of 2024 as part of a rotation of regularly scheduled surveys in the International Falls Management Area. Walleye fingerlings have been stocked annually during recent years, but abundance is still relatively low. The Walleye present were good sized, in the 18-to-22-inch length range. Bluegill abundance is similar to what would be expected for this lake class, but the average size is larger than expected. Bluegill averaged about 6.6 inches and some up to nearly 8.5 inches were sampled. Bluegill up to 7 years old were sampled, and growth was significantly faster than other lakes in the International Falls Management Area. Black Crappie numbers have drastically increased since they were first found in Dark Lake in 2019. In 2024 crappie numbers were very high compared to similar lakes. Several age classes of Black Crappie were captured, with fish up to 7 years old in the catch. Nice sized fish, up to 12 inches, were in the catch. The vast majority of the Black Crappie were 3 to 5 years old. The abundance of young fish indicates that this population has likely grown to a self-sustaining population. Northern Pike in Dark Lake are abundant and relatively small. The average size is slightly about 21 inches, and the largest sampled in 2024 was 28.3 inches. Dark Lake is in the north central Pike management zone, which includes a harvest regulation aimed toward increasing the size structure of these high-density Northern Pike populations. The new regulation protects medium sized Pike (22 to 26 inches) while allowing an expanded bag limit of 10 fish, with no more than 2 over 26 inches. Yellow Perch catch rates increased for the second straight survey. Perch in Dark Lake are relatively small and are primarily a forage species for large predators. However, a few manage to reach sizes that may be of interest to anglers. The largest sampled in 2024 was 8.7 inches. Other species sampled during the 2024 survey included White Sucker, Black Bullhead, Golden Shiner, and Rock Bass.

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

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

Dark has a maximum depth of 50 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Dark is from 2025.

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