Second

Second Lake is a 44-acre lake located in northern Pine County near the town of Willow River. It has no public access, so permission must be obtained from private landowners to access the lake. It is a fairly shallow lake, with a couple of deep holes on the north end. Fishing there is primarily for panfish (bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish and black crappie), northern pike, largemouth bass, and bullhead.The results of the survey done in September 1999 show that there is a good population of bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish. However, the fish were relatively small with bluegill averaging 5.5 inches and pumpkinseed sunfish averaging 4.5 inches. The black crappie population was below average for this lake, but that is natural, as crappies have shown to be cyclic in their populations in lakes of this type. The crappies averaged about eight inches. Yellow perch showed low abundance and were small, averaging 5.9 inches. The northern pike population is low for this type of lake, and the fish were also found to be slow growing. Northern pike size varied greatly, with fish measuring for 12.8 to 35.5 inches. There is a good population of bullheads. Yellow bullhead averaged 8.0 inches, with some as large as 11.5 inches. In seine samples taken in early September, there were a lot of young-of-the-year bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish caught, so reproduction for these two species was good this year. Overall, anglers can expect to catch smaller sized bluegills and pumpkinseeds, with an occasional larger one mixed in. Crappie fishing could be good depending on the year, as in 1989 when the population was higher. There are also some northern pike available, with an occasional large one caught. Altough largemouth bass were not sampled in the 1999 survey, they were recorded in the previous survey and are most likely still present, but in low numbers. And with the large amount of small panfish, there should be plenty of forage for the northerns and bass in future years. Fishing for bullheads should be good, with good numbers and descent sized fish. Anglers are encouraged to keep the smaller bluegills and pumpkinseeds and release the larger fish. This may eventually lead to a better quality bluegill and pumpkinseed fishery.

A RESURVEY OF SECOND LAKE WAS CONDUCTED IN AUGUST OF 1989. TWO GILL NETS, FOUR TRAP NETS AND SHORELIEN SEINING WERE USED TO ASSESS THE CURRENT FISH POPULATION. THE 1989 RESURVEY IS THE FIRST CONDUCTED SINCE THE INITIAL SURVEY DONE IN 1958. THE NORTHERN PIKE NET CATCH IS EQUAL TO THE LOCAL MEDIAN. THE LENGTH FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION RANGED FROM 14.0 TO 25.9 INHCES, WITH A MEDIAN LENGTH GROUP OF 19.0 TO 19.9 INCHES. MEAN WEIGHT IS 1.77 POUNDS. THE 8 FISH AGED CAME FROM BOTH TYPES OF NETS, AND RANGED FROM AGE III TO AGE VIII. GROWTH RATE IS BELOW NORMAL AFTER THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE. THE BLUEGILL NET CATCH IS UP CONSIDERABLY FROM THE PREVIOUS SURVEY AND IS NEAR THE LOCAL MEDIAN. THE LENGTH FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION RANGED FROM 3.5 TO 7.9 INCHES, WITH A MEDIAN LENGTH GROUP OF 4.5 TO 4.9 INCHES. BLACK CRAPPIE APPEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS SURVEY, WITH A NET CATCH THAT IS BELOW THE LOCAL MEDIAN. THE FISH STOCKED IN 1957 DID NOT APPEAR IN THE 1959 SURVEY, BUT THE PRESENCE OF BLACK CRAPPIE IN THE CURRENT SURVEY INDICATE THE SUCCESS OF A 1971 STOCKING OF ADULT FISH. THE LENGTH FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION RANGES FROM 5.0 TO 9.9 INCHES, WITH A MEDIAN LENGTH GROUP OF 7.0 TO 7.4 INCHES. THE 14 FISH AGED RANGED FROM AGE II TO AGE VIII. GROWTH IS SLOW AS COMPARED TO STATEWIDE AVERAGES. THE PUMPKINSEED SUNFISH NET CATCH IS WELL ABOVE THE LOCAL MEDIAN FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION RANGE OF 3.0 TO 6.9 INCHES, AND A MEDIAN LENGTH GROUP OF 4.5 TO 4.9 INCHES. THE YELLOW PERCH NET CATCH IS NEAR THE LOCAL MED- IAN. THE LENGTH FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION RANGES FROM 5.5 TO 8.4 INCHES, WITH A MEDIAN LENGTH GROUP OF 5.5 TO 5.9 INCHES. YELLOW BULLHEAD NET CATCH IS HIGHER THAN THE PRE- VIOUS SURVEY AND THE LOCAL MEDIAN. BLACK BULLHEADS WERE SAMPLED IN THIS SURVEY, BUT NOT IN THE PRE- VIOUS SURVEY. BROWN BULLHEADS WERE SAMPLED IN THE PREVIOUS SURVEY, BUT NOT IN THIS SURVEY. ONE LARGEMOUTH BASS, AGED AT 7 YEARS, WAS CAPTURED IN A GILL NET. FISH CAPTURED IN SHORELINE SEINING INCLUDED 485 YOUNG-OF-YEAR BLUEGILL SUNFISH, 38 PUMPKINSEED SUNFISH OLDER THAN YOUNG-OF-YEAR AND 8 YOUNG-OF-YEAR YELLOW PERCH.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Perch in Second. 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 Second. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Second has a maximum depth of 25 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Second is from 1999. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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