Garden

Garden Lake is five miles east of Ely, covers 653 acres, and is one of three connected lakes that with Farm and South Farm comprise the Garden Reservoir. This system is also connected to White Iron Lake via the South Kawishiwi River. A public access with a concrete plank boat ramp is located near the northwest corner of the lake off CR 18 (Fernberg Road). Garden Lake can also be accessed by boat from Farm Lake. A hydroelectric dam at the outlet of Garden Lake affects water levels seasonally on Garden Lake and the other connected lakes. The 2020 lake management plan for the Garden Reservoir lakes listed walleye and northern pike as the primary management species and the plan also listed bluegill, smallmouth bass, and black crappie as capable of providing quality fishing. A standard survey was conducted in mid-summer 2023 to assess the populations of these species and to monitor lake quality and habitat. The survey crew sampled fish with gill nets and trap nets, and they measured water quality. Garden Lake was thermally stratified, with a surface temperature of 71 F and a temperature of 52 F at 50 feet. Adequate oxygen levels for gamefish were present to a depth of about 15 feet. Garden Lake has brown, bog-stained water with visibility around 6 feet. Walleye harvest by anglers on the Garden Reservoir chain is restricted with a special regulation that requires releasing all fish from 17 to 26 inches, with only one fish over 26 inches allowed in a 6-fish limit. This regulation has been in place since 2006 with the goal of maintaining overall catch rates while increasing the number of fish over 17 inches and applies to all the connected lakes mentioned above. The gill-net catch for walleye was higher than the historic median for the lake. Walleye tended to run small, averaging just 12.8 inches long and only 27% of the fish sampled were over 14.0 inches. The largest walleye was almost 31 inches. Six additional walleye were also sampled in trap nets with a larger average size of 14.2 inches. Walleye ages ranged from 0 to 12 and indicated natural reproduction is occurring in the system. Northern pike (pike) harvest by anglers on the Garden Reservoir chain is restricted with a special regulation that requires releasing all fish from 24 to 36 inches, with only one pike over 36 inches allowed in a 3-fish limit. This regulation, which applies to all the connected lakes mentioned above, has been in place since 2003 with the goal of maintaining the overall catch rate and increasing the abundance of pike over 24 inches. Northern pike were caught at a slightly higher rate than the historic median for Garden Lake. Northern pike were 21.6 inches on average, which was smaller than the historical average for the lake. Additional northern pike were sampled in trap nets at a rate of 2.3 fish/trap net. These fish tended to be smaller, averaging 18.8 inches. Bluegill were caught at rates that were above average for Garden Lake. Plus, the fish were 7 inches on average and displayed some of the fastest growth compared to other bluegill populations in the Tower area. The largest bluegill sampled was 9.4 inches in length, and ages ranged from 2 to 10. Black crappie were caught at a lower-than-normal rate for Garden Lake. Black crappie averaged 11.2 inches in length. The largest black crappie sampled was 12.8 inches long, and ages ranged from 3 to 9. Additional species sampled in 2023 included burbot, cisco, rock bass, smallmouth bass, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch.

Garden Lake is located approximately 5 miles NE of Ely. This popular lake is highly developed by area standards with homes and cabins being common particularly on the western shores. There are two resorts also. Garden is one of four lakes that with Farm, South Farm and White Iron comprise the Garden Reservoir. This reservoir is used for generating hydropower at the electric plant located near the outlet of Garden Lake. Water level fluctuations are common. There is a navigable channel from nearby Farm Lake for public access. A concrete planked boat ramp is located near the NW corner of the lake off the Fernberg Road (CR18) for another access option. The nearby parking area is limited in space though. Nine species of fish were sampled during the 2017 survey of Garden Lake. The catch rates were similar to past results indicating a stable fish community with generally low relative abundances. Cisco (31%) was the most common species sampled in 2017, followed by yellow perch (25%), walleye (20%) and northern pike (10%). Bluegill and black crappie are likely more abundant than the gill net catches indicate. Smallmouth bass are also present, although none were sampled during the survey. Walleye numbers in 2017 (3.1/gill net) were slightly above the historical average (2.3/gill net) for Garden Lake and below average (6.2/gill net) compared to other similar area lakes with walleye. The average walleye sampled was 11.6 inches and about 5 years old. The growth rate for walleye from Garden Lake is currently the slowest in the area. The largest walleye sampled measured 26.2 inches. Walleye fingerlings are stocked during even-numbered years and in 2017, 46% of the walleye sampled were from years where stocking occurred. There has been a protected slot for walleye in Garden Lake from 17 to 26 inches with one over 26 inches in possession since 2006. Northern pike numbers in 2017 (1.6/gill net) were slightly higher than the historical average (1.1/gill net) but slightly below average (2.1/gill net) compared to other similar area lakes with pike. The average pike sampled in 2017 was 22.8 inches which is slightly smaller than the historic average length of 23.3 inches. The largest pike measured 31.0 inches. There has been a protected slot for northern pike in Garden Lake from 24 to 36 inches with one over 36 inches in possession since 2003. Yellow perch numbers in 2017 (3.8/gill net) were similar to the historic average (3.1/gill net) and similar to the average (4.0/gill net) compared to other similar area lakes. The average perch sampled was 6.7 inches and the largest perch measured 9.0 inches. Cisco numbers in 2017 (4.8/gill net) were nearly identical to the historical average (4.7/gill net) for Garden Lake and slightly lower (5.3/gill net) than average when compared to other similar area lakes with cisco. Cisco average length was 9.3 inches which is slightly below the historical average length of 9.9 inches. The largest cisco sampled in 2017 was 14.4 inches long.

Garden Lake is a 670 acre lake located about two miles east of Winton, MN. Garden, along with Farm and South Farm Lakes make up the Garden Lake Reservoir. There is a dam located at the outlet of Garden Lake that discharges into Fall Lake. This dam, owned by Minnesota Power, impounds the reservoir and is used to generate hydropower. The lakes of the Garden Lake Reservoir are managed primarily for their walleye and northern pike fisheries. A population assessment was conducted on Garden Lake during the summer of 2012 to determine the status of the fish community, the effectiveness of walleye fingerling stocking (1.0 lb/littoral acre biennially)and protected length limit (protected length limit of 17-26" with one over 26" in possession) and the impacts of a northern pike special regulation (protected length limit of 24-36" with one over 36" in possession). Walleye made up 18% of the 2012 Garden Lake gill-net catch by number and 13% by weight. Abundance in the gill-net catch (3.0/net) was the highest recorded for Garden Lake since 1981. Despite this, abundance was below normal for lakes in the same classification as Garden. The average weight of walleye was 0.49 pounds and was below normal. Walleye lengths in the catch ranged from 7.2 to 17.8 inches with an average of 11.2 inches. Sixty-three percent of the catch was from years in which fingerling stocking occurred. Growth of Garden Lake walleye was slow. Because the Garden Lake Reservoir is an open system, fingerling stocking was evaluated concurrently for all three lakes. The results of the evaluation showed that walleye cohorts from years that were fingerling stocked contributed approximately 50% more to assessment catches than those cohorts from years in which no stocking occurred. A special regulation was implemented for walleye in 2006 on the Garden Lake Reservoir requiring the immediate release of fish between 17 and 26 inches. One walleye over 26 inches is allowed in possession. The two assessments that have occurred since 2006 indicate that this regulation has met the goal of increasing abundance of walleye greater than 17 inches. The average gill-net catch of walleye greater than 17 inches from 2008-2012 was 0.93/net. The 1991-2004 average was 0.30. The number of walleye over 17 inches has tripled while the number of walleye over 26 inches has doubled. Northern pike gill-net abundance in Garden Lake in 2012 (1.1/net) was equal to the historic average since 1965. Abundance in 2012 was below the first quartile for lakes in the same classification. Garden typically exhibits low pike abundance. Pike ranged from 15.4 to 31.9 inches with a mean of 22.28 inches. The largest pike ever caught during an assessment was 44.0 inches and was caught during 1965. Evaluation of the northern pike length regulation also included all the lakes of the reservoir. The special regulation on pike went into effect in 2003 and requires the immediate release of pike between 24 and 36 inches with one over 36 inches allowed in possession. The goal of the northern pike regulation was to increase the overall abundance of northern pike in the reservoir and specifically to increase the abundance of pike over 24 inches. The evaluation indicated that the special regulation appears to have attained its goal. The catch rate of pike over 24 inches increased from 0.38/net in 1991-1999 to 0.86/net in 2004-2012. The bluegill population in Garden Lake exhibits low density but relatively large individual size. The trap-net abundance in 2012 (1.7/net) was equal to the historic average. Average length in 2012 was 7.1 inches. The largest bluegill in the catch was 9.5 inches. Mean bluegill weight (0.39 lbs) was above average for lakes in this classification. Bluegill growth in Garden Lake was very fast. Other species present during the 2012 survey included black crappie, rock bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and white sucker. Abundance for all four of these species was below the first quartile for lake class 7. One rusty crayfish, a non-native species, was captured in Garden Lake.

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

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

Garden has a maximum depth of 55 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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