Bone

Bone Lake is a designated trout lake located in Lake County about 16 miles north of Tofte. The public access has an earthen ramp with limited parking off US Forest Service 348 approximately 3.5 north of Whitefish Lake Rustic Campground. The road is minimally maintained, and a high clearance vehicle is recommended. Currently, the lake is stocked with catchable sized Rainbow Trout yearlings each spring and fingerling Splake in the fall of even-numbered years. Trout catch was low for the second consecutive survey in 2023. Still, results did confirm that trout can survive potentially stressful periods during summer and winter to provide angling opportunities. Yellow Perch catch has increased in the two surveys completed since first being sampled and may be impacting growth and survival of trout. The lake will continue to be monitored regularly to determine if changes need to be made to stocking size or frequency.

Bone Lake is a designated trout lake located about 16 miles northwest of Tofte, Minnesota off of US Forest S Rd. #348 (Whitefish Lake Rd). The road past the Whitefish Lake campground is rough and minimally maintained for the 3.5 miles to the lake and a high clearance vehicle is recommended. A small earthen access suitable for a small boat and trailer is located on the east shore near the outlet, and there is parking for a couple vehicles. A second access is a nearly mile long trail through an old logging site to the western shore of the lake. This second access is mainly used in the winter. The catch of Splake was below average, compared to similar lakes, with only four fish caught. The length of the Splake ranged from 11.1 to 13.5 inches and they had an average weight of 0.9 pounds. The fish were two years of age and from the stocking event in 2018. The population of Splake is maintained by the stocking of 3,500 fingerlings in the fall of even years. Only one Rainbow Trout was caught during the 2020 survey. This trout was 11.4 inches long and from the 2020 spring stocking event. Bone Lake is stocked annually in the spring with 1,000 yearling Rainbow Trout to provide a fishery for anglers. The 2020 survey was the second consecutive survey to catch Yellow Perch in Bone Lake, but the first to sample adult perch. Four gill nets sampled 25 Yellow Perch and an additional 4 perch were caught in a single mini trap net. The average size of perch from gill nets was nearly 8 inches with some fish over 11 inches sampled. The Yellow Perch were estimated to be ages 3 and 4; indicating perch have re-established a population in the lake. Yellow Perch are an undesirable species to have in a stocked trout lake because they compete with trout for resources in the lake. White Sucker have been sampled in thirteen consecutive surveys dating back to 1967. The 2020 White Sucker gill net catch was average compared to similar lakes. The average length was 9.6 inches with fish up to 17 inches long sampled. White Sucker are also an undesirable species in a stocked trout lake.

Bone Lake is a 43 acre designated trout lake managed for Rainbow Trout and Splake in the Superior National Forest. The maximum depth is 51 feet and it has brown bog stained water. The lake is located 16 miles north northwest of Schroeder down the Timber-Frear Loop Road (USFS Rd. 348) about 3 miles past the Whitefish Lake Campground. Access is a small earthen back-in suitable for small boats and canoes along the road on the east side of the lake. A second access is available with a small parking area along Lake County Hwy 7, 3 miles past Windy Lake. This 0.7 mile trail is mainly used in winter months, and leads to the west end of the lake. Currently a beaver dam has been built on top of the rock filter barrier at the outlet and the lake water level is at an all-time high, approximately 2.5 feet higher than normal. If the dam should breach, it very likely would wash out the road. Bone Lake gets light to moderate fishing pressure in the summer and winter angling seasons. A small amount of shoreline angling is available near the access along the road. Consult the current Minnesota Fishing Regulations for rules applicable to designated trout lakes. Rainbow Trout yearlings are stocked annually, and Splake fingerlings every other year in Bone Lake. Cold water temperatures and good dissolved oxygen levels are essential for trout growth and survival. To assess these important criteria, four automatic temperature loggers were deployed at the deepest location in the lake, they were suspended at depths of 8, 16, 24 and 32 feet from May 22 to October 2, 2017. Dissolved oxygen checks were conducted throughout the summer at the same location. In October on three different occasions, attempts were made to retrieve the temperature logger chain using numerous tools and methods. Unfortunately they were never found and it is suspected that they were tampered with, lost, or stolen. The results of the investigation indicate that in during the summer of 2017, Bone Lake maintained sufficient oxygen and thermal habitat for the survival of stream trout. These parameters will continue to be carefully monitored in future investigations to check the suitability of Bone Lake for trout stocking.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Splake in Bone. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Bone has a maximum depth of 51 feet and a mean depth of 18.5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Bone is from 2023.

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