Fall

Fall Lake is located four miles northeast of Ely. There are three main public accesses, two of which have concrete ramps, the other is gravel. This 2,258 acre lake contains two substantial inlets. The Shagawa River comes in on the west end of the lake and the Kawishiwi River enters on the south side at the site of the Winton Hydroelectric dam. The one outlet flows over a low head dam located on the north side of the lake on its way to Newton, then Basswood Lake. Fall has a maximum depth of 32 feet and brown colored water. On August 22, 2022 Fall Lake was weakly thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 73 F and a bottom temperature of 63 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 23 feet where the water temperature was 68 F. Shoal-water substrates consist of mostly boulder with some areas of gravel and sand. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 32.8 fish/net which was just below the historic average on Fall Lake. Total yield was 25.9 lbs/net which was also just below the average of past surveys on the lake. Fish species sampled were walleye, tullibee, yellow perch, white sucker, northern pike, rock bass, and smallmouth bass. Two-hundred walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 16.7 fish/net which was very good compared to other similar lakes and the highest catch rate in the history of Fall Lake. It also ranks 7th out of 198 surveys of walleye lakes in the area. Sizes ranged from 4 to 26 inches with an average of 12 inches. Growth was slow as it took the average walleye six years to reach 15 inches. Ages ranged from 0 to 16 years. One hundred eighty-four of 199 fish (92%) were age-4 or younger and there were no missing year classes between 2013 and 2022. The northern pike gillnet catch rate of 3.3 fish/net was near the lake's historic average and better than average compared to other similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 15 to 27.5 inches with an average of 19.5 inches. The yellow perch gillnet catch rate was 4.1 fish/net which was just below average for Fall Lake. Lengths were similar to past surveys with a range from 5 to 11 inches and an average of 8 inches. Fifty-four cisco were sampled for a catch rate of 4.5 fish/net. This was below the lake's historic average. Sizes were 7 to 17 inches with an average of 11 inches. Sizes were similar to past surveys.

Fall Lake is a 2,258 acre lake located near the town of Winton with the NE portion of the lake within the BWCAW where a 25 hp motor limit exists. Homes, cabins and one large resort can be found near the portion that lies outside the BWCAW. A large USFS campground is located near the NE end. Minnesota Power operates a small hydro electric plant on Fall Lake near the south central shore. The most common access is located at the USFS campground off FR 551 which is off the Fernberg Road (CR 18). There are two concrete planked ramps for launching boats and a large area nearby for canoeists. Fall Lake is a popular BWCAW entry point for wilderness enthusiasts and anglers most often heading north towards Basswood Lake and points beyond. There are 8 designated USFS campsites located within the portion that lies in the BWCAW. Two additional accesses can be found on Fall Lake with the landing near the town of Winton on the SW end getting the most use of the two. Ten species of fish were sampled with 12 gill nets during the 2017 survey of Fall Lake. Cisco (30%), walleye (26%), yellow perch (18%), northern pike (10%) and white sucker (10%) were the most common species sampled in 2017. One black crappie was sampled but the low number is likely misleading with the inherent selectivity of the gill nets used during the survey. Smallmouth bass are also present in Fall Lake, although not represented in the sample from 2017. Even though no lake whitefish were sampled in 2017, there is a population present and an annual sport netting season is opened on Fall Lake during late autumn where knowledgeable netters may catch whitefish with an occasional large cisco. Walleye numbers in 2017 (7.2/gill net) were below the Fall Lake historical average (11.6/gill net) and in fact were the lowest since a survey completed in the 1990's. When comparing the Fall Lake walleye catch to other similar lakes in the area, the numbers are slightly above the average of 6.2/gill net. The average walleye sampled was 12.0 inches long and about 4 years old with the largest walleye measuring 26.4 inches. Ninety-four percent of the walleye sampled during the 2017 survey were under 15 inches in length. Northern pike numbers in 2017 (2.7/gill net) were nearly identical to the historical average and slightly above average (2.1/gill net) when compared to other similar area lakes. The average pike sampled was only 19.9 inches with the largest pike near 30 inches in length. Twenty-two percent of the pike sampled during the 2017 survey were 24 inches or larger.

Fall Lake is a 2,173-acre lake located on northeast corner of the town of Winton. The northeast portion of Fall Lake is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Motorboats in this portion of the lake are limited to 25 horsepower and BWCAW permits are required. Public accesses on the lake are in Winton and at the US Forest Service Fall Lake Campground, which is a major entry point to Newton and Basswood Lake. On Fall Lake, anglers will have success catching walleye, northern pike, and black crappie. Bluegill and yellow perch are less abundant but of quality size. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota lakes into 43 different types based on physical and chemical characteristics. Fall Lake is in lake class 7. Other area lakes in the same class include Agnes (BWCAW), Bear Island, Bearhead, Birch (Babbit), and Shagawa. Compared to most class 7 lakes, Fall Lake is shallower and has lower water clarity because of the bog stained water from the Kawishiwi River. Fall Lake has a rocky shoreline. Water levels may change as much as 4 feet through the year due to weather trends and operation of the Minnesota Power hydroelectric dam upstream on the Kawishiwi River at Garden Lake. In 2012, twelve gill nets were set in late August. Walleye abundance exceeded what you would typically find in a similar type of lake. The walleye population has been quite stable over many years and is supported entirely by natural reproduction. Walleye from the survey were 6 to 19 inches long and averaged 11 inches. Age 1 to 4 walleye made up 78% of the aged sample. One year old walleye were 47% of the survey sample indicating a strong year class. Walleye grow slowly in Fall Lake. It takes three years for a typical Fall Lake walleye to reach 11 inches. The northern pike gill net catch was above average, both in the number of pike per net and in average size. In 2012, pike were 13 to 34 inches long with an average of 21 inches. This was the highest average length over the past five assessments dating back to 1995. Ages 1 to 6 were present in the sample. Pike growth was normal. Anglers are reminded that releasing medium and large size pike helps maintain a wide range of pike sizes in a population and ensures future opportunities to catch a large pike. Bluegill and crappie are harder to find in Fall Lake, but often reach a large size based on trap nets set in late June. Yellow perch are also in low abundance but of a good size with many of them in 8 to 10 inch size range. Other species sampled were rock bass, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, and white sucker. Rusty crayfish and clearwater crayfish are both non-native species present in Fall Lake. Since their first discovery in 1986, rusty crayfish have become quite abundant throughout the lake. The average of 30 entangled per gill net was lower than in the previous four surveys however. Their presence in Fall Lake and other area lakes was probably due to anglers releasing unused bait. It is illegal to release crayfish into the wild.

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

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

Fall has a maximum depth of 32 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Fall is from 2022.

Yes — Fall has confirmed spiny waterflea. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.