Dumbbell

Dumbbell Lake is in Lake County about six miles east of Isabella and within the Superior National Forest. There is a public access with concrete log boat ramp and dock with parking for several trailer rigs located on Forest Service Road 172. There is also a picnic area with airplane dock and fishing pier located further east along the same road. Additional facilities include two boat-in backcountry campsites. The lake supports popular fisheries for Muskellunge and Walleye. The current lake management plan calls for Walleye fry stocking in two consecutive years of every four. The 2023 Walleye catch was above the normal range for similar lakes for the fourth consecutive survey and met the goal of at least 14.0 fish per gill net identified in the current management plan. The size distribution of the catch indicates good angling opportunities with an average size of 14.3" long and 1.23 pounds and 10% greater than 20" long. Age analysis determined less than half the Walleye caught were from stocked years including the 2020 naturally produced year class, which was the most abundant. The current management plan calls for the current stocking strategy to be thoroughly evaluated after the next scheduled standard survey in 2028. Muskellunge are not sampled well in standard survey gear, but a small number were caught in gill nets in 2023. Targeted spring trap netting has been used in the past to monitor the population but could not be completed in conjunction with the standard survey due to the late ice-out of area lakes. Dumbbell Lake has supported an abundant population of moderate sized Musky for the last several decades and should continue to provide anglers with good opportunities to catch and release this popular species. Smallmouth Bass and Rock Bass are also part of the fish community and have historically been captured in high numbers during fisheries assessments. The size structure of both populations is poor, but anglers may appreciate their abundance when more finicky species are not cooperating.

Dumbbell Lake is located four miles east of Isabella along the Wanless Road (Forest Service 172). The public access includes a concrete boat ramp and dock with parking available for about a half dozen rigs. A targeted survey of summer gill nets was completed in 2021 to help evaluate the effectiveness of Walleye stocking. Currently, the lake is stocked with 500,000 fry in two consecutive years followed by two non-stocked years. Walleye catch was above the normal range for similar lakes for the third consecutive survey and met the goal in the current management plan. The average size was 13.8" and just over a pound which indicates good opportunities for anglers. Age analysis determined that 63% of the catch came from non-stocked years. Results from the past several surveys indicate naturally reproduced year classes have been responsible for a majority of the Walleye caught. The management plan calls for the current stocking strategy to be thoroughly evaluated after surveys in 2023 and 2028. Smallmouth Bass are present but the majority of fish are small with only 9% of the catch greater than 10" long. The largest fish taken was 14.4 inches. The lake is also popular with Musky anglers because of the abundant population of moderate sized fish. While the Shoepack strain of muskellunge in the lake rarely exceeds 40", anglers have an excellent chance to catch 30" fish with some regularity.

A survey was completed in August 2019 to monitor the zooplankton community in Dumbbell Lake. Samples were analyzed to provide baseline information on the zooplankton community composition and abundance and to determine if the aquatic invasive species, Spiny Water Flea, has become established in the lake. This invasive species was first found in Lake Superior in 1988 and was thought to be introduced through ballast waters. Spiny Water Flea has since spread to the inland lakes and rivers in the Duluth (1997), Tower (2007), and Grand Marais (2007) fisheries management areas. Dumbbell Lake was selected for annual zooplankton sampling in 2008 because it is considered to be at high risk of infestation compared to other Finland area lakes. Sampling in 2019 consisted of three vertical plankton tows made with a 50 centimeter diameter net with 150 micron mesh from a depth of 30 feet. Zooplankton community composition was similar to previous surveys completed on the lake. No Spiny Water Flea have been sampled since monitoring began.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Rock Bass, Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, and Yellow Perch in Dumbbell. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Dumbbell has a maximum depth of 40 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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