Oak

Oak Lake is a 422 acre lake in northern Pine County. A paved public access and a private resort are both located on the south shore of the lake. Water clarity is good despite sporadic algae blooms in August. Oak Lake is managed primarily for Walleye. Walleye fry have been stocked in odd years since 2017. Lake use is light to moderate for both boating and fishing. In 2023, a fisheries survey was conducted which included spring and fall electrofishing, trap netting, and gillnetting. Six gill net sets and nine trap nets were used during the assessment. The previous assessment on Oak Lake was conducted in 2015. No juvenile Walleye were sampled during the fall electrofishing survey. Adult Walleye gill net catch rates were below average for this type of lake in Minnesota. Northern Pike catch rates were 8.8 fish per net which is well above average for this type of lake. Both Northern Pike and Walleye growth was average. Bluegill and Crappie catch rates were higher in the 2023 survey than the previous survey. Black Crappies had very high catch rates; however, lengths ranged from 4.2 to 9.7 inches and only averaged 6.2 inches. Bluegill catch rates were above the normal range for this type of lake. Measured Bluegill ranged from 3.2 to 7.9 inches. Spring night electrofishing found good numbers of Largemouth Bass that had an average size of 1.1 pounds. Lengths ranged from 9.4 to 18.5 inches with an average length of 14.7 inches. Anglers can anticipate catching good numbers of moderate sized Largemouth Bass.

A survey of nearshore fish species was conducted on Oak Lake on July 10, 2023 by Hinckley fisheries staff. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the shoreline and each site was sampled by backpack electrofishing, and/or seining. Nearshore sampling captured 9 species of fish; Bluegill, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Iowa Darter, Golden Shiner, White Sucker, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and Northern Pike. The nearshore fish survey data is combined with gill net and trap net data from previous Oak Lake surveys to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score based on expectations for similar lakes. The FIBI score for Oak Lake based on this survey is above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. This survey is contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with the MN Pollution Control Agency. Oak Lake is located in the Kettle River Watershed. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Oak Lake is a fertile 442 acre basin in northern Pine County. In recent years Walleye, the primary management species, have been stocked annually as fingerlings at a rate of 1.5 pounds per littoral acre (300 pounds). A paved public access and a private resort are both located on the south shore of the lake. The lake is fairly remote with moderate levels of development. The shoreline is predominately sand and the water clarity is fairly good despite occasional algae blooms. Lake use is light to moderate for both boating and fishing. Anglers can expect acceptable-size Black Crappie, Walleye, and Largemouth Bass in abundances typical of the lake type. To assess lake management goals and the current fishery, an assessment was conducted on Oak Lake in 2015. This survey consisted of night electrofishing, gill netting, and trap netting. Walleye, Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, and Bluegill were all present in size and numbers typical of the lake type. Black Crappie again averaged close to 8 inches with individuals over 10 inches present. Walleye averaged 17 inches and nearly two pounds. Largemouth Bass increased in both size and abundance compared to the previous assessment. Bass averaged over 13 inches and a pound-and-a-third. The Northern Pike quality dipped since the 2010 netting when more than a fifth of the catch exceeded 30 inches. Only one northern in the 2015 assessment exceeded 30 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Walleye, and Hybrid Sunfish in Oak. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Oak has a maximum depth of 20 feet and a mean depth of 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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