Corabelle

Corabelle Lake is a 107-acre lake located three miles south of the City of Iona in Murray County. The lake's shallow maximum depth of 6.0 ft. and location in a highly agricultural watershed likely contribute to the poor water quality. Corabelle Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike and secondarily for Yellow Perch and Black Crappie. A standard survey was conducted the week of July 26, 2021 to monitor fish populations using a gill net and trap nets. Northern Pike have occurred in low abundance in Corabelle Lake, with catch rates ranging from 0.6 per trap net in 2001 to 2.2 per trap net in 1996. The 2021 Northern Pike catch rate was 1.9 per trap net, which exceeds the long-term average of 1.3 per trap net and is the second highest catch recorded in Corabelle Lake. With the current Northern Pike regulation of a 2 fish limit and need to be at least 24 inches for southern MN lakes, all of the sampled fish were of legal size to harvest. Lengths of Northern Pike ranged from 25.4 to 36.7 inches and averaged 30.8 inches. One-hundred and four Northern Pike fingerlings were stocked in the fall of 2021 to supplement the existing population. The 2021 Yellow Perch catch rate was 247.0 per gill net, greatly exceeding the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.78 to 25.0 per gill net). Although very abundant, lengths of Yellow Perch were small, ranging from 4.4 to 12.1 inches and averaging 7.5 inches. Eighty-seven percent of sampled Yellow Perch were less than 9.0 inches in length. The Yellow Perch population in Corabelle Lake should provide a great angling opportunity after the perch have another year or two of growth. Black Crappie are a secondary management species in Corabelle Lake and have consistently occurred at a low abundance (less than 3.4 per trap net since 1996). Zero Black Crappie were caught in the 2021 survey. In an effort to reestablish the Black Crappie population, 300 adults were stocked in 2012; however, it does not appear that this stocking and subsequent natural reproduction has been successful. Management of Black Crappie on Corabelle Lake may be dropped in the near future. Other species sampled included Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Orangespotted Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

INTRODUCTION Corabelle Lake is a 107-acre lake located 3 miles south of the City of Iona in Murray County. Corabelle Lake is shallow with a maximum depth of 6.0 feet. Corabelle Lake has a watershed-to-lake ratio of 4:1 which indicates that it has a relatively small watershed. Despite the small watershed, Corabelle Lake's water quality is poor as indicated by a secchi depth of 0.7 feet. The poor water quality is likely a result of nutrient runoff from adjacent agricultural fields. The primary management species in Corabelle Lake is northern pike, while yellow perch and black crappie are managed secondarily. The northern pike population is maintained through fingerling stocking one out of four years (2004, 2007, 2010, and 2014). Adult black crappies have also occasionally been stocked after suspected winterkills to maintain the spawning broodstock (2005 and 2012). The yellow perch population has been self-sustaining, with no stocking occurring in the recent past. A population assessment was conducted during the week of July 14, 2014 to monitor fish populations using nine trap nets. NORTHERN PIKE Historically, northern pike have occurred in low abundance in Corabelle Lake, with catch rates ranging from 0.6 per net in 2001 to 2.2 per net in 1996. The 2014 catch rate was within this range as northern pike were captured at a rate of 0.7 per trap net, slightly below the long term average of 1.1 per trap net and down from the 2008 catch rate of 1.0 per trap net. Lengths of northern pike ranged from 24.2 to 31.7 inches and averaged 28.0 inches. Northern pike were chunky, weighing an average of almost five pounds. YELLOW PERCH The yellow perch catch rate in 2014 (3.7 per trap net) was similar to the catch rate in 2008 (4.4 per trap net) and was within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (0.3 to 3.8 per trap net). The 2014 catch rate of 3.7 per trap net is below the long term average of 7.3 per trap net; however, the long term average was highly influenced by high catch rates in the 1996 and 2001 surveys (10.3 and 10.8 per trap net, respectively). A winterkill assessment was done in April 2011, during which yellow perch were captured at a rate of 105.0 per trap net. The timing of the survey likely resulted in this high catch rate because nets were set when yellow perch were likely moving inshore to find spawning areas. In 2014, yellow perch were small, ranging in length from 4.7 to 6.6 inches and averaging 5.5 inches. In comparison, lengths during the 2011 winterkill assessment ranged from 3.2 to 11.1 inches and averaged 8.0 inches. Yellow perch are typically sampled more effectively with gill nets; however gill nets were not used in 2014 because of the shallowness of the basin. The time of year (mid-July) and the gear used (trap nets) in 2014 may be underestimating perch abundance and size structure in Corabelle Lake. BLACK CRAPPIE The black crappie population has been increasing since the 2001 survey, from 0.2 per trap net in 2001 to 2.2 per trap net in 2008 to 3.4 per trap net in 2014. The 2014 catch rate was within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.2 to 20.5 per trap net). Black crappies ranged in length from 4.3 to 5.3 inches and averaged 4.9 inches. The narrow range of lengths indicate the presence of one year class, likely age-2 fish, that were a result of the pre-spawn adult black crappies stocked in early May of 2012, following the partial winterkill during the winter of 2010. In a couple of years, crappies should attain a length that is acceptable to anglers. OTHER SPECIES The black bullhead catch rate in 2014 (11.7 per trap net) remained unchanged from the 2008 catch rate (11.8 per trap net), and was significantly less than catch rates observed in 2001 and 1996 (44.9 and 52.8 per trap net, respectively). The 2014 catch rate was toward the low end of expected catch rates for similar lakes (11.5 to 132.6 per trap net). Black bullheads ranged in length from 4.1 to 11.9 inches and averaged 7.7 inches. The common carp population has remained stable in Corabelle Lake, with catch rates ranging from 1.2 per trap net in 1996 to 2.7 per trap net in 2008. The 2014 catch rate was within this range at 2.0 per trap net and was within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.0 to 5.5 per trap net). Many lengths of common carp were present with lengths ranging from 8.7 to 28.2 inches and averaging 12.7 inches. The white sucker catch rate increased from 0.0 in 2008 to 4.8 in 2014. White sucker were between 14.6 and 19.0 inches in length. The 2011 winterkill assessment was the first time that bigmouth buffalo were captured in Corabelle Lake. In 2014, the bigmouth buffalo were still present and were captured at a rate of 0.6 per trap net (n=5). In 2011, bigmouth buffalo averaged 7.8 inches and in 2014 they averaged 24.5 inches. Other species captured include orange spotted sunfish (n=90) and yellow bullhead (n=1). This is the first time that yellow bullhead have been sampled in Corabelle Lake (6.1 inches in length). Plants in the water and at the water's edge provide habitat, prevent erosion, and absorb excess nutrients. Shrubs, trees, and woody debris such as fallen trees or limbs provide good habitat both above and below the water and should be left in place. By leaving a buffer strip of natural vegetation along the shoreline, property owners can reduce erosion, help maintain or improve water quality, and provide habitat and travel corridors for wildlife. Best management practices within the watershed (no-till farming, cover crops, buffer strips, targeted fertilizer application, reduced or metered tiling) would help reduce nutrients entering the lake. High nutrient and sediment input can cause algae blooms and reduce overall water quality. Any improvements in the watershed are likely to have positive impacts on the fishery. Prepared by Jonah Dagel

Corabelle is a 107-acre lake located approximately 10 miles west of Fulda in Murray County. The lake has a maximum depth of 6.0 feet and is a class 43 lake. Corabelle is managed primarily for northern pike while yellow perch and black crappie are managed secondarily. Because of shallowness, only trap nets were used for the assessment. Corabelle has a good northern pike population in it. Lengths of northern pike caught ranged from 26 to 34 inches and averaged around 30 inches. Northern pike fingerlings were stocked in 2004 and 2007 and will be stocked again in 2011. Corabelle also has a very good yellow perch population with the opportunity to catch some nice sized fish. Lengths of yellow perch caught in the assessment ranged from 4 to 12.5 inches and averaged around 7 inches. There were a fair number of yellow perch 8 inches and larger. There are a lot of fish in the 4 to 6 inch range coming up in the population which should make perch fishing good for a while. There is a fair number of black crappie in Corabelle. Lengths of black crappie caught in our trap nets ranged from 4 to 12 inches and averaged about 7.5 inches. The lake was stocked with adult black crappie in 2003 and 2005 to try and establish a fishable population. A lot of fish in the 4 to 6 inch range indicate that those stockings have been successful and should provide black crappie angling opportunities in the future. There are also a few white crappie present in the lake. You can usually tell the difference between the two because typically white crappie have vertical bars on the side of the fish. Corabelle has an average black bullhead population. Lengths of black bullhead caught in our trap nets ranged from 7 to 11 inches and averaged almost 9 inches. So if youre hungry for a fresh meal of bullhead, Corabelle might be a good choice. If bow fishing is your sport, you might want to give Corabelle a shot. Numbers arent extremely high but there are some nice carp to be arrowed. Lengths of carp caught in our trap nets ranged from 18 to 27 inches with many over 22 inches. To maintain a healthy fishery in Corabelle Lake, we need to promote Best Management Practices (BMPs) within the watershed to help reduce nutrients entering the lake. High nutrients and sediments in a lake can cause algae blooms and reduce water clarity.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, and Black Crappie in Corabelle. 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 Corabelle. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Corabelle has a maximum depth of 6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Corabelle is from 2021.

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