Unnamed

Judd is a designated stream trout lake that is 17 miles east of Ely in the Superior National Forest. The lake is very small, at just 31 acres, is 26 feet deep, and has light green water. Judd is shallower than many stream trout lakes but maintains coldwater habitat for trout. A dissolved oxygen profile on 9/27/2023 found the lake mixed with a temperature of 62.6 degrees and oxygen sufficient for trout to the bottom. No campsites are present and most of the shoreline is privately owned. Accessing Judd involves parking off the Snowbank Road, an approximately 1/3-mile portage through low ground to an inlet of Discovery Lake, and a short ten rod portage into Judd. The beaver dam at the outlet of Discovery blew out in the high water of spring 2022 and dropped water levels by approximately two feet. This made walking on the bog somewhat easier but entailed some difficult paddling conditions in Discovery. The trail was in good condition. The 2023 survey consisted of two experimental gillnet sets. Rainbow trout, green sunfish, and golden shiner were the only species sampled. Rainbow trout numbers (3/net) were below average compared to recent surveys of Judd. Lengths ranged from 11 to 19 inches with an average just shy of 15 inches. Trout stomachs contained mostly aquatic invertebrates, but the abundant population of small green sunfish provides additional forage to larger trout.

Judd Lake is located approximately 17 miles NE of Ely within the Superior National Forest. This designated stream trout lake is stocked annually with Kamloop strain rainbow trout fingerlings. Currently the most common access is by a 1/2 mile portage from the Snowbank Road to an inlet of Discovery Lake. After crossing Discovery Lake a short 10 rod portage must be crossed to the shore of Judd Lake. This route is better suited for winter travel, particularly the first section where the portage crosses a spruce swamp and water levels can affect navigation of the inlet to Discovery Lake. No campsites are present on Judd Lake and the majority of the shoreline is privately owned. Three species of fish were sampled with 2 gill nets during the 2018 survey of Judd Lake. Small green sunfish comprised approximately 85% of the catch. Rainbow trout and golden shiners were also sampled in 2018. Green sunfish numbers in 2018 (47.0/gill net) were above the historic average (25.2/gill net) for Judd Lake. Sunfish average length measured 4.8 inches which is slightly smaller than the historic average length of 5.5 inches. The largest sunfish in 2018 was 6.4 inches long. Rainbow trout numbers in 2018 (7.0/gill net) were equal to the historic average for Judd Lake. The average rainbow sampled was a respectable 17.3 inches (2.5 lbs) which is larger than the historic average length of 14.6 inches. The largest rainbow sampled in 2018 was 21.6 inches in length.

Judd Lake is located approximately 17 miles NE of Ely and is in the Superior National Forest. This remote designated stream trout lake is stocked annually with rainbow trout fingerlings. Access is by portage from the Kekekabic Trail parking lot off the Snowbank Road approximately 0.8 miles to the inlet to Discovery Lake. There is another short portage (10 rods) from Discovery into Judd. The first portage is discrete with low areas and standing water present and better suited for winter travel. Two gill nets were set during the 2013 population assessment. A total of 52 rainbow trout were sampled between 9.6 inches and 20.9 inches. The average rainbow was 12.8 inches long and about 0.9 lbs in weight. Green sunfish (53.0/gill net) are abundant and golden shiner were the only other species sampled. The sunfish are small and averaged 5.3 inches long.

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

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

Unnamed has a maximum depth of 22 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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