Organ

Organ Lake is an approximately 40 acre lake with a maximum depth of seven feet located 15 miles northwest of Schroeder. The lake can be accessed by a mostly grown over 100 foot trail from US Forest Service Road 348 (Whitefish Lake Road) to the northeastern corner of the lake; parking is limited to wide areas of the road. The road is very rough beyond the Whitefish Lake rustic campground and a four wheel drive vehicle with good ground clearance is recommended. A survey was completed on Organ Lake during late June of 2022 to monitor the fish community and assess the current Northern Pike angling opportunities. The Northern Pike catch rate was the highest on record for Organ Lake, but was within the normal range relative to other similar lakes. The average length of Northern Pike was poor at just 18 inches and the largest pike sampled was only 22 inches long. Overall growth of pike was slow relative to other lakes in the area. Although the lake may not produce trophy pike, anglers that visit the lake should have good chances to catch smaller pike. Historically Yellow Perch were present in the lake, but none were sampled in the 2022 survey.

Organ Lake is located in the Superior National Forest on the west side of U.S. Forest Service Road #348, access to the lake is provided by a 100 foot carry-in trail with parking for one vehicle at the trailhead. There appeared to be little human activity on the access trail in 2013, with a dead balsam fir blocking a portion of the trail near the trailhead. The lake is 41 acres having a maximum depth of seven feet in brown bog-stained water. The Secchi disk was visible to three feet; there are many boulders at or near the lake surface that are boating hazards. The initial lake survey, in 1980, found only yellow perch and white sucker present in Organ Lake. A population assessment, in 1988, sampled yellow perch, white sucker, creek chub and common shiner. In 1992 adult northern pike were stocked into Organ Lake to provide an additional fishing opportunity for anglers on this little used lake. Since the northern pike introduction in 1992 the yellow perch and white sucker catch has fallen significantly. The 2013 yellow perch was the lowest recorded on Organ Lake, the average size of yellow perch was a little more than 7 inches. The northern pike sample in 2013 was below average compared to lakes having similar characteristics. The average length of northern pike in 2013 was 18.4 inches (1.3 pounds); the largest northern pike sampled was 24.5 inches. Northern pike growth in Organ Lake was slower than average compared to other lakes in the Finland area, considering the poor forage base available to northern pike that slow growth was not surprising. Organ Lake now has a self-sustaining population of northern pike; no northern pike have been stocked since the initial stocking in 1992.

Test nets sampled northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker in Organ Lake during a 2004 assessment. Northern pike were collected in average numbers, compared to other lakes in this lake class, and the catch included fish up to 27.9 inches (5.0 pounds). Mean size; however, was fairly small (1.5 pound) with most of the fish in the sample smaller than 19 inches.Yellow perch were sampled in relatively low numbers and their size was below average. The largest yellow perch sampled was 8.1 inches; however, the average length was less than 7.0 inches and the perch were probably too small to interest most anglers.There is no developed access or campsites on Organ Lake. A short, user developed, trail allows for small boats or canoes to be carried to the lake. The lake is shallow and has many rocks that are a hazard to navigation.

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

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

Organ has a maximum depth of 7 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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