August

August Lake is located about 15 miles northwest of Isabella within the Superior National Forest. There is a small public access on August Lake Road less than a mile west of Forest Service 388 with limited parking and an earthen ramp suitable for small boats and canoes. This is the first survey to be completed since Walleye stocking was discontinued in 2015. The 2019 survey had the highest Walleye gill net catch to date. Size was good with an average length of about 13 inches and average weight about 0.9 pounds. Age analysis identified nine year classes with Walleye ranging from age-1 to age-9. Significant natural reproduction was documented with the 2015, 2017, and 2018 year classes well represented in the sample. Conversely, stocked year classes accounted for just 12% of the Walleye captured. Growth remained average for the area and similar to previous assessments with fish reaching 13.7 inches at age-4. Additional surveys are needed to determine if natural reproduction can sustain the population at this level into the future. Northern Pike catch was within the normal range for the lake and similar to previous surveys. Size in gill nets was poor with pike averaging just 18.9 inches and 1.41 pounds. Historic survey data suggest Northern Pike rarely reach the size preferred by anglers, but an occasional big fish is reported. Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch catches were all within the normal range for the lake and similar to previous surveys. Other species captured in quarter-inch mesh trap nets included Blacknose Shiner, Bluntnose Minnow, Burbot, Golden Shiner, Largemouth Bass, and Tadpole Madtom. This was this first time Largemouth Bass have been sampled in the lake and the presence of several young-of-the-year fish indicates some natural reproduction is taking place. The source of the spawning stock is not known.

August Lake is characterized as a lake class 12 lake and is located eight miles east and 10 miles south of Winton. Public access is from USFS #377 (Tomahawk Rd.) take USFS #388 north to the August Lake Road, go west to the north end of August Lake. USFS has removed a large boulder and small trailers can now be backed into the lake. The lake is 228.7 acres, 96% littoral with a maximum depth of 19 feet and a Secchi disc reading of 4.9 feet in brown bog stained water. Like most lakes in the area it has very soft water with low fertility. Boulder is by far the most common shoreline substrate. Vegetation was found growing to a maximum depth of six feet, 45 species/groups of aquatic vegetation were identified, all rated "rare". Five inlets enter the lake, one outlet exits along the southeast shore. There are 2 USFS designated campsites on this lake. One campsite is accessible by foot and the other by water only. There are two other old campsites are on the lake. One site near the outlet is overgrown and gets little use. The other is on a point along the northwest shore, is well groomed and gets regular use. The 2013 Walleye gill net catch of 7.5/lift was slightly above average for lake class 12. Average weight of 0.77 pounds was below average. The largest fish sampled was 22.3 inches and weighed 3.9 pounds. The lake is stocked with fingerlings in even numbered years. In 2013, 27% of the Walleyes were from non-stocked years. Reproduction has been documented, but similar to most past assessments, the majority of strong year classes correspond with stocked years. Growth of Walleye is faster than average in August Lake for the Finland Area. Northern Pike catch of 3.67/lift is near the lake class average. The average weight of 1.98 pounds is above average. The largest fish sampled was 33.9 inches and weighed 8.7 pounds. Growth of Northern Pike is slightly faster than average for the Finland Area. Yellow Perch catch of 3.67/lift and average weight of 0.11 pounds are both below average for the lake class. The largest fish was only 8.1 inches. Over 4,000 young-of-the-year Yellow Perch were sampled indicating that perch provide a valuable forage base in August Lake rather than a targeted species for anglers. Growth of Yellow Perch is average for the Finland Area. White Sucker catch of 6/lift with an average weight of 1.78 pounds was below average. Other species sampled were Blacknose Shiner, Bluntnose Minnow, Golden Shiner, Johnny Darter, Pumpkinseed and Rock Bass.

Located within the Superior National Forest, August Lake is approximately 17 miles northeast of Babbitt, MN. This 228-acre lake has a maximum depth of 19 feet and littoral area of 219 acres. A short, carry-down access to the north end of the lake is suitable for canoes and small boats. A benchmark established during the lake mapping in 1980 indicated the 2007 reading was at a low lake level, recorded once before in 1996. The catch in 2007 consisted of white sucker, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch and rock bass. The same 5 species were sampled in 7 previous assessments. Walleye numbers sampled in 2007 were above the long-term average in August Lake. The average length of 11.7 inches (0.58/lbs) was below the average size seen in all but one of the previous assessments. However, a large portion of the 2007 walleye sample was age-1 and age-2 which influenced the small average size. Both natural reproduction and walleye stocking contributed to these strong year-classes. Northern pike abundance was average for the lake class. The catch in 2007 was similar to samples taken in 8 previous assessments. The average weight of the northern pike sampled was 2.65lbs (22.6 inches), which was a larger average size than sampled in previous assessments. Growth was average for northern pike in August Lake. Yellow perch numbers sampled in 2007 were the highest recorded in any assessment on August Lake; however, it represents an average catch for the lake class. The average weight of perch was about 0.1 pound and similar to previous assessments. Yellow perch averaged 6.5 inches in the 2007 assessment with one fish over 9 inches sampled. Yellow perch growth was average for the Finland area. Pumpkinseed sunfish and rock bass were also sampled in low numbers and small average size.

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

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

August has a maximum depth of 19 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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