Island

Island Lake is a 616-acre, class-25 lake located in northern Mahnomen County within the boundaries of the White Earth Indian Reservation. The lake sits within the North Central Hardwood Forests ecoregion in the upper reaches of the Wild Rice River Watershed. Island Lake has a littoral area of 331 acres and a heavily developed shoreline. There is a public boat access on the east shoreline. Island Lake's fish community has undergone many changes since it was initially surveyed in 1953 including large fluctuations in game and non-game fish species. The MN DNR Detroit Lakes Fisheries Office and the White Earth Natural Resources (WENR) Office work in partnership to stock Walleye fingerlings in odd-numbered years. A standard fisheries survey was completed in July 2025 to assess the fish populations in Island Lake. Anglers will find a moderate abundance of Northern Pike in Island Lake, with a good opportunity to catch decent fish. The Northern Pike gill net catch rate of 11.6 pike per gill net in 2025 was up from the 8.1 pike per net in the 2020 survey. Size structure was better than other lakes in the Detroit Lakes work area with 50% of pike above 22 inches in length and about 36% of the pike greater than 24 inches. The average length of Northern Pike surveyed in 2025 was 23 inches and the longest was almost 36 inches. Walleye numbers were down with 3.7 Walleye per gill net sampled, which is below the lake's average. Walleye size is good compared to other area lakes. Ninety-four percent of the Walleye captured in 2025 were over 15 inches and 48% were over 20 inches. Walleyes up to almost 28 inches were sampled. Bluegill numbers were at a near record high for the lake. Bluegills of all sizes were observed but tend to run small. Only 1% of the Bluegill caught in trap nets were over eight inches, but the longest Bluegill measured was 10.3 inches. Black Crappie were plentiful in trap nets, however these fish only averaged 8.5 inches. The longest crappie measured was 10.25 inches. Largemouth Bass were captured in low numbers in the trap nets, which is often the case with this sampling gear. One Largemouth Bass almost 19 inches was captured in a gill net. Other fish species sampled were Black and Brown Bullhead, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Rock Bass.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Island Lake was conducted on July 27, 2022, by Detroit Lakes Area Fisheries Staff. Data collected during this nearshore survey were combined with trap net and gill net data to calculate a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score for the lake. The FIBI Tool-2 was used for scoring and resulted in a FIBI score of 53. The previous score for Island Lake was 58 in July 2015. The impairment threshold score is 45, suggesting that the fish population in Island Lake meets expectations for lakes of similar characteristics, and the lake is likely not biologically impaired. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Wild Rice River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Island Lake is a 616-acre lake located in Mahnomen County within the boundaries of the White Earth Indian Reservation. This productive lake possesses a heavily developed shoreline and occasionally experiences large algal blooms in the summer. Though no severe winterkills have been formally documented in Island Lake, water quality records suggest winterkill is possible in certain areas of the lake. Walleye fingerlings are stocked biennially in Island Lake. Walleye catch rates in Island Lake have been variable since initial surveying, however they have stabilized over the past four surveys. Since 2005, surveys reported an average catch rate between four and eight Walleye per gill net, with the 2020 survey catching almost four Walleye per gill net. Sampled Walleye ranged in length from 13.3 to 28.4 inches, averaging 18.9 inches. Walleye 16 to 19 inches in length were most abundant, accounting for 47% of total Walleye catch. Gill net catch rates of Northern Pike have increased in Island Lake since initial surveying, likely as a result of several high water years leading to improved pike spawning habitat. On average, eight pike were caught per gill net in the 2020 survey. Sampled pike ranged in length from 10.6 to 35.5 inches, averaging 22.4 inches. Nine pike over 30 inches were caught, indicating trophy potential. Bluegill abundance was similar to past surveys. Sampled Bluegill had an average length of 5.9 inches, with fish up to 9.8 inches long also present. Approximately 8% of the sampled Bluegill were eight inches long or longer, indicative of a population dominated by small to moderately sized fish. On average, Bluegill eight inches long were six years old. Black Crappie abundance remained high in 2020. Sampled crappie ranged in length from 0.6 to 10.2 inches with an average length of 8.3 inches. Yellow Perch abundance was up slightly, with fish ranging in length from 5 to 11.2 inches. Additional species sampled in the 2020 survey included Largemouth Bass, Black Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, and Rock Bass. Anglers can help to maintain Island Lake's valuable fishery by voluntarily releasing a portion of medium-large size fish and harvesting smaller fish for eating, specifically Northern Pike, Bluegill, and Black Crappie. Shoreline owners can help to maintain or improve water quality and fish habitat by leaving shoreline buffer zones, by leaving stands of native aquatic vegetation intact, by taking precautions to prevent invasive species introductions, and by using wise land management practices.

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

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

Island has a maximum depth of 43 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Island is from 2025.

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