Elixir

Elixir Lake is located immediately north of the Wanless Road (USFS Road 172) 11 miles east of Isabella. The access is a carry down directly from the road and there is enough space on the south side of the road opposite the access to park one vehicle. The lake is managed for Northern Pike and a survey was conducted during July of 2025 to update information on the pike population and fish community. A total of 16 Northern Pike were sampled in gill nets, which was the highest catch on record for the lake. Northern Pike had an average length of 22 inches and average weight of 2.5 pounds. Pike reproduce successfully in the lake most years with fish up to age-7 in the sample. Elixir Lake provides anglers looking to target pike from a carry-in watercraft with a relatively easy access opportunity to catch eater sized fish, although anglers are unlikely to find trophy pike in the lake. White Sucker and Yellow Perch are also present and provide the forage base for Northern Pike.

The number of northern pike collected in this survey was slightly below average compared to similar lakes. Most of the northern pike were between 18 inches and 20 inches and averaged about 1.8 pounds. One 34.5 inch (9.8 pound) northern pike was sampled during the survey.Yellow perch were sampled in average numbers; however the fish were probably too small to interest anglers as no yellow perch larger than 8.5 inches were collected.

The Northern Pike gillnet catch of 5/lift is near the local average for lakes in this classification. Northern Pike average weight is 2.8 lbs. which is about 1/3 larger than Northern Pike in similar types of lakes. Historically, gillnet catches of Yellow Perch have ranged from 0-2/lift, however trapnet catches from the last two assessments indicate Yellow Perch densities are probably higher than most lakes in this class. Gillnet catches of White Sucker have increased in each of the last two assessments and now appear to be very abundant.

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

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

Elixir has a maximum depth of 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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