T

T Lake is a moderately sized lake with a maximum depth of 15 feet and is located approximately 20 miles northeast of Isabella. There is a half mile carry-in access to the southeast side of the lake from the parking area off of Lake County Road #7. There are a couple areas of moderately difficult terrain with boulder fields to cross along this access trail. A second access is a portage trail from Silver Island Lake to the southwest side of the lake. There are two water access campsites found along the lake shore. The 2019 Walleye catch was above average relative to similar lakes in northeastern Minnesota and the highest catch of seven previous surveys of the lake. The average size was 12.8 inches and 0.8 pounds, only 16% of the catch was over 15 inches long. The largest Walleye sampled was 19.8 inches. The Walleye population is sustained by natural reproduction and ten different year classes were present in the sample. Walleye growth was average for the first three years of growth then slowed down for fish at four years of age and older compared to other lakes in the Finland Area. Northern Pike catch was below average for the lake class but similar to previous surveys of the lake. The average size of Northern Pike was 19.3 inches and 1.8 pounds, although one pike did measure 32.9 inches. The catch for Black Crappie was average for the lake class and this was the fourth consecutive survey to sample the species. The size of crappie was good and they averaged 11.6 inches and 0.9 pounds with forty percent of the catch over 12 inches. In the Finland Area, Black Crappie populations tend to consist of low densities with good growth rates, but sporadic reproduction and recruitment. A single Lake Whitefish was caught during the survey that was 15.2 inches long and 1.6 pounds. The Lake Whitefish population in T Lake appears to be low. Yellow Perch and White Suckers are also important forage species in the lake and they were captured in numbers considered to be normal for this lake. Other species sampled during the survey included Rock Bass, Johnny Darter, Blacknose Shiner, Pumpkinseed, and Spottail Shiner.

T Lake is 295 acres, nearly 100% littoral, with a maximum depth of 15 feet. There are two accesses to the lake. The primary access from Lake County Rd. #7 is a 0.5 mile carry-in trail to the south basin. There is parking for three vehicles at the trailhead. The second access is a 0.2 mile portage trail from the northeast shore of Silver Island Lake to the southwest shore of T Lake. There are two remote water access campsites with picnic tables, fire grates and latrines. The 2011 walleye population in T Lake was slightly above average for the lake class. The average weight was 0.80 lbs and average length of walleye was 13.3 inches; the largest fish measured was 21 inches. Twenty-seven percent of the walleye sampled were larger than 14 inches. The northern pike population was slightly below average for the lake class, the average weight 1.3 pounds (18 inches) also was below average. The largest northern pike recorded in the assessment was 25.2 inches. The northern pike sample in 2011 was similar to previous collections from T Lake. Black crappies were first sampled in T Lake in 1995. The black crappie sample in 2011 was above average, the average size of 0.7 pound (9.4 inches) was also above average for the lake class. The largest black crappie was 13.7 inches; sixty percent of the black crappie catch was greater than 12 inches. Yellow perch numbers were well above average in 2011, the average size of 0.2 pound (7.3 inches) was slightly above average for the lake class. Thirty-six percent of the yellow perch sample was larger than 8 inches; the largest yellow perch was 10.5 inches.

T Lake is a remote 336 acre lake located approximately 14 miles east of Isabella, MN. Access requires a portage of 1/2 mile from Lake County Road 7, or a 1000 foot portage from Silver Island Lake. The lake is surrounded by federal land, and the shoreline is in a natural state. Fish populations in this lake are maintained through natural reproduction.Walleye were sampled in average numbers as they have been in all past assessments. Walleye up to 20.2 inches (3.1 pounds) were sampled; however, fish over 17 inches were not common in this assessment. Approximately 33% of the walleye sampled were between 13.0 and 15.9 inches.Black crappie are in T Lake, but the measure of relative abundance may not be accurate. The remote location of T Lake limits assessment options to the use of gill nets, which are not best suited for sampling this species. Gill nets caught a relatively small number of black crappie. The fish were all from a single year class and ranged in size from 10.7 to 11.5 inches.Yellow perch were sampled in average numbers with fish up to 10.1 inches collected. Approximately 25% of the yellow perch were between 9.0 and 10.0 inches.A small number of lake whitefish were sampled. They ranged from 13.5 to 18.8 inches and averaged about 1.5 pounds. Lake whitefish are rarely pursued by anglers on this lake. T Lake is not open to fall whitefish netting.

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

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

T has a maximum depth of 15 feet and a mean depth of 6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in T is from 2019.

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