Teufer

Teufer Lake is a 39-acre lake located in Koochiching County approximately 2.5 miles east of Northome, Minnesota. This small lake has a maximum depth of 52 feet and good water clarity. There is a gravel boat access on the south side of the lake. A standard lake survey was completed in 2024 as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Management Area. Teufer Lake has no special regulations. Fishing regulations follow statewide regulations for inland waters. Northern Pike regulations follow the North-Central zone regulations. Teufer Lake is managed primarily for Walleye and is currently stocked with fingerlings in even numbered years. Walleye gill net catch rate was 1.7 fish per net, which was below average compared to similar lakes. The catch rate was below the management goal of 2.8 fish per net for Teufer Lake. Total length ranged from 18.2 to 21.8 inches with an average length of 19.4 inches. The average weight was 2.7 pounds, which was above average compared to similar lakes. A total of six year-classes were present and ages ranged from 4 to 11 years. These Walleye are likely from previous stocking events and recently stocked fish (2022 and 2024) should recruit to the fishery in the next couple of years. While Walleye numbers are down in Teufer Lake, the larger than average size provide anglers the opportunity to catch nice sized Walleye. Northern Pike gill net catch rate was 2.7 fish per net, which was below average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 20.8 to 33.2 inches with an average length of 25.7 inches. The average weight was 3.9 pounds, which was above average compared to similar lakes. A total of four year-classes were present and ages ranged from 3 to 6 years. The 2021 and 2018 year-classes accounted for 75 percent (37 percent each) of the total sample. While Northern Pike numbers are down, the larger than average size structure provides a good opportunity for anglers looking to target Northern Pike. Bluegill trap net catch rate was 18.2 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 3.2 to 8.6 inches with an average length of 5.7 inches. The average weight was 0.17 pounds, which was below average compared to similar lakes. A total of four year-classes were present and ages ranged from 3 to 6 years. The 2020 year-class accounted from 38 percent of the total catch and the 2019 year-class accounted for an additional 33 percent. With good numbers of Bluegill, Teufer Lake provides a good opportunity for anglers looking to target Bluegill, but they may have to sort through small fish. Other species sampled during the 2024 survey included Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Perch.

Teufer is a 39 acre lake located in Koochiching County approximately 2.5 miles east of Northome, Minnesota. This small lake has a maximum depth of 52 feet and relatively good water clarity. There is a gravel boat access on the south side of the lake. Teufer is managed primarily for Walleye and is currently stocked with fingerlings in even numbered years. A standard fisheries survey was completed in 2019 as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Management Area. Panfish populations have fluctuated greatly since the first fisheries investigation in 1959. Bluegill were abundant in that first survey. By 1987, Bluegill had disappeared completely from the net catches and Black Crappie emerged in great numbers. By 2014, the Black Crappie population had declined and the Bluegill appeared in the net catches again. During this 2019 survey, Black Crappie were completely absent from the sample, and Bluegill were abundant. The average Bluegill measured approximately 6 inches and some up to 8.5 inches were caught. Largemouth Bass are also abundant in Teufer. Catch rates exceeded what would be expected for similar lakes, and they averaged slightly less than one pound. Smaller Largemouth are plentiful, but some larger fish over 18 inches are present. The Northern Pike population is good for a small lake. Abundance and size are above average for this type of lake. Pike averaged 22.5 inches and 2.5 pounds, with some fish up to nearly 30 inches in the survey gear. Walleye catch rates were within the expected range for Teufer. The average size was impressive at nearly 19 inches. The largest Walleye sampled was nearly 23 inches. Aging revealed that all Walleye were from stocked year classes, indicating that natural reproduction is probably not occurring. The Yellow Perch catch rate and average size were both impressive for this type of lake. Perch averaged nearly 7 inches and there were some up to nearly 11 inches. Growth appears to be faster than average International Falls area lakes. Other species caught during this survey included Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and White Sucker.

Teufer is a small (39 acre) relatively deep, productive lake approximately 2.5 miles east of Northome. Fifty-nine percent of the lake is less than 15 feet deep and the deepest spot is 52 feet. The deepest part of the lake is frequently void of oxygen both during the summer and winter. The fish community has varied greatly through time, partly related to periodic partial fish kills. However, the last partial fish kill was documented in 1986. Teufer Lake is stocked with walleye fingerlings every other year. Walleye gill-net abundance in 2014 showed a decline from the last assessment in 2009 on Teufer Lake. However, walleye gill-net abundance had shown an increasing trend from 1993 to 2009 corresponding to the same period that stocking has taken place in Teufer Lake. Age analysis of the 2014 catch indicated that all walleye captured corresponded to a stocked year-class. Walleye in the gill-net catch ranged in length from 10.04 to 18.03 inches. The average length was 15.24 inches. The average individual weight was 1.31 pounds. Keeping in mind that only 9 fish were sampled, growth was very fast for the International Falls Management Area. Bluegills were sampled for the first time since 1984 and size was impressive. The average size captured was nearly 8.0 inches. The trap net catch was 3.89 per net, above the 1st quartile of 1.44 but well below the median of 16.48. Mean weight was between the median and 3rd quartile. The average back-calculated length of bluegills at age 4 was 7.98 inches, which is more than 2 inches above the area average of 5.70. Black crappie trap-net abundance (0.11/net) was the lowest since 1987 on Teufer Lake. Official records indicate that black crappie were not present in Teufer Lake prior to 1987. Following introduction, the population rapidly increased, peaking in 1993. Since then, abundance leveled off at a lower level until this assessment. The one crappie captured was aged at 8 years and 13.38 inches long. One largemouth bass was sampled from a trap net during the 2014 investigation. Electrofishing was not conducted in 2014.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Walleye, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Bluegill in Teufer. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Teufer has a maximum depth of 52 feet and a mean depth of 16 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Teufer is from 2024.

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