Louisa

Lake Louisa is a 230-acre lake in Murray County located 2 miles south and 2 miles west of the town of Westbrook. Lake Louisa took a hard winterkill during the winter of 2013 -2014 and was used as a Walleye rearing pond the following year in 2014. During the fall of 2014, nearly 7,300 pounds of Walleye fingerlings were harvested from Lake Louisa. In 2015, it was restocked with Yellow Perch and Northern Pike. During the winter of 2017-2018, anglers reported seeing dead Walleye on the bottom of the lake. While oxygen readings were not taken, it was suspected that a winterkill occurred. A winterkill assessment using daytime electrofishing was conducted on May 16, 2018 to determine the extent of the winterkill that occurred. Electrofishing sampled 4 species of fish including Black Bullhead (72.0 per hour), Fathead Minnow (N=1150.0 per hour), Northern Pike (N=2.0 per hour), and Yellow Perch (N=114.0 per hour). Walleye were not sampled, indicating that a partial winterkill likely occurred. During the spring of 2018, Walleye fry were stocked for fingerling production. The Walleye fry stocking was evaluated in the fall using daytime electrofishing. During fall electrofishing, less than 10 young-of the year (YOY) Walleye were sampled in an hour, indicating that the fry stocking was not very successful. Hundreds of Yellow Perch and good numbers of YOY Northern Pike were observed during the survey. The YOY Pike were likely the result of natural reproduction in the spring of 2018.

WAE CAUGHT ONLY REPRESENTED ONE YEAR CLASS. THESE FISH WERE STOCKED AS FRY IN 1989. WAE STOCKED EARLIER DID NOT APPEAR IN SAMPLES. NATURAL REPRODUCTION APPEARS ABSENT. INTRODUCED CRAPPIE ALSO DID NOT TAKE WELL. SUNFISHES AND YEP THAT WERE PRESENT AND REPORTED REPRODUCING IN 1986 HAVE ALSO DISAPPEARED. BLB NUMBERS HAVE NOT CHANGED OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. NOP NUMBERS ARE LOW, BUT FISH CAUGHT WERE LARGE, AVERAGING AROUND 6 POUNDS. POTENTIAL SPAWNING AREAS FOR NOP MAY BE DEVELOPED TO PRODUCE GOOD PIKE FISHING OPPORTUNITIES. THE PREY BASE FOR BIG PIKE MAY BE DECLINING, HOWEVER, WITH A CRASH IN THE PERCH POPULATION. LARGE NUMBERS OF MINNOWS WERE COLLECTED IN SHORELINE SEINES, AND MAY BE SUPPORTING PIKE.

TRAPNET CATCH INDICES FOR NORTHERN PIKE ARE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN STATE AND LOCAL MEDIANS. GILL- NET CATCH INDICES FOR YELLOW PERCH ARE HIGHER THAN STATE MEDIANS AND ABOUT EQUAL TO THE LOCAL MEDIAN. NET CATCH INDICES FOR BLACK BULLHEAD ARE ABOUT EQUAL TO THE LOCAL MEDIANS. NET CATCH INDICES FOR WALLEYE, BLACK CRAPPIE, CARP, AND WHITE SUCKER ARE BELOW STATE AND LOCAL MEDIANS. SHORELINE SEINING INDICATES THAT ORANGESPOT SUNFISH, GREEN SUNFISH, BLACK BULLHEAD, AND FATHEAD MINNOW HAD GOOD NATURAL REPRODUCTION IN 1986.

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

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Louisa. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Louisa has a maximum depth of 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Louisa is from 1991. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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