Perch

Perch Lake is located three miles northeast of Babbit and the lake can be reached through a public carry-in access which is on the south shore of the lake off U.S. Forest Road 191. Portage wheels are allowed at this access. Perch Lake is relatively small at just 100 acres and is relatively shallow at just 13 feet deep. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly rubble, ledge rock, and muck. Perch Lake was surveyed in July 2023 to monitor the walleye, bluegill, and northern pike populations and to monitor lake quality and habitat. The survey crew sampled fish with gill nets and trap nets, and they measured water quality. Perch Lake was thermally stratified, with a surface temperature of 74 F and a temperature of 63 F at the bottom. Adequate oxygen levels for gamefish were present to a depth of about 7 feet. Perch Lake has brown, bog-stained water with low visibility at about 4 feet. Aquatic vegetation is limited in the lake. Walleye were sampled at a rate of 4.3 fish/gill net, which was below average for the lake. However, walleye were nice sized, averaging 14.7 inches in length, and over 60% of the fish were over 14 inches. Walleye were also sampled in trap nets at a rate of 4.3 fish/net. These fish tended to be larger, averaging 16.8 inches and nearly 85% of the catch was 14 inches or larger. Walleye ages ranged from 2 to 14 and indicated consistent recruitment in this naturally reproducing population. Bluegill were sampled at a rate of 12.9 fish/trap net, which was higher than the historical average for the lake. Bluegill averaged 6.8 inches in length, and approximately 37% of the catch was 8 inches or larger. The largest bluegill sampled was 10.1 inches. Bluegill ages ranged from 2 to 7 and indicated exceptional growth rates for lakes in the Tower area. Northern pike were sampled at a rate of 5.0 fish/gill net and 2.1 fish/trap net, both of which were slightly higher than average for Perch Lake. The average length was 19.4 inches, which was close to the historical average for the lake. The largest pike was 39.4 inches long and was caught in a trap net. This was the largest pike ever sampled from Perch Lake. Additional species sampled in 2023 included hybrid sunfish, white sucker, and yellow perch.

Perch Lake is located approximately 3 miles NE of Babbitt in the Superior National Forest. There is a short (1/8 mi) portage from a parking area near the SW end of the lake for public access. This access can be found by taking CR 903 (off CSAH 21) then N on USFS 191 to the parking area. There are no official campsites located near the lake. Perch is shallow soft water (unmineralized) lake. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly silt, boulder, rubble, and sand. Aquatic plants were sparse and grow to a depth of 5 feet. The most common plants were sweetgale along the shoreline, yellow waterlily, ribbon leaf pondweed, and floating leaf burreed. Walleye dominated the catch during the 2016 survey of Perch Lake. Bluegill were sampled in above average numbers and northern pike were sampled in numbers slightly below average. Hybrid sunfish, yellow perch, white sucker and golden shiner were also sampled in 2016. Walleye numbers in 2016 (12.0/gill net) were above average (5.4/gill net) compared to other similar lakes in the area and below the historical average (14.0/gill net) on Perch Lake. The average walleye sampled was 12 inches long and about 3 years old. The largest walleye was sampled in a trap net and measured 25 inches. Walleye sampled from the trap nets in 2016 were also above average in numbers and the average length was 16 inches. Bluegill numbers in 2016 (6.4/trap net) were above average (1.5/trap net) compared to other similar area lakes and below the historical average (10.9/trap net) for Perch Lake. The average bluegill sampled was 7 inches long and about 4 years old. Almost half of the bluegill sampled in 2016 were 8 inches or larger. Selective harvest of bluegill is recommended. Releasing large bluegill keeps those "big fish" genes in the population for future generations. Northern pike numbers in 2016 (2.7/gill net) were below average (4.0/gill net) compared to other similar area lakes and identical to the historical average on this lake. The average pike sampled was 20 inches which is slightly larger than the historical average length of 18.9 inches. The largest pike sampled in 2016 was 28 inches long.

Perch Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 12, which consists of 90 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small, shallow, have irregular shoreline shapes, and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Perch Lake ranks as mesotrophic-to-eutrophic according to Carlson's Trophic State Index. Perch Lake was thermally stratified on 07/17/2006 with a surface temperature of 81 F and a bottom temperature of 72 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was retained to within a foot of the bottom. The small inlet and outlet had no flow during the 2006 survey. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly silt, boulder, rubble, and sand. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 5 feet. The most common plants were sweetgale along the shoreline, yellow waterlily, ribbon leaf pondweed, and floating leaf burreed. All of the land surrounding Perch Lake is Federal forest land, except for a State owned forty acre parcel on the west shore. There are no campsites on the lake. Access is by a 1/8 mile portage from USFS Road 191, via County Road 903. Fish sampling during the 2006 fisheries lake survey consisted of two gillnets, nine standard trapnets, and three small mesh (1/4 inch bar mesh) trapnets. Five previous investigations, dating back to 1964, used 2-6 gillnets. Trapnets (4-9) were used during the 1977 and 1966 investigations. Shoreline seining was done in the 1964 investigation. Walleye were the dominant fish species in Perch Lake in 2006. Walleye were introduced into Perch Lake in 1988 and were stocked again in 1993. Northern pike and yellow perch populations have declined since the introduction of walleye. Good numbers of bluegill are also present in Perch Lake, and some smallmouth bass and largemouth bass were reportedly caught by an angler in 2004. Fish species observed only in the small mesh trapnets were bluntnose minnow, golden shiner, and tadpole madtom. Walleye numbers in 2006 (16.5/gillnet and 6.2/trapnet) were higher than normal (in the fourth quartile) for this lake class. Walleye numbers were also high in 1991 (16.0/gillnet) and in 1996 (9.5/gillnet). Walleye sizes in 2006 averaged 13.8 inches (1.0 lb), which was somewhat smaller than normal (in the second quartile) for this lake class. The largest walleye was 23.7 inches. All of the walleye captured in 2006 were the result of natural reproduction, which has occurred regularly in recent years. Walleye growth was somewhat faster than normal (in the third quartile) by area standards. Northern pike numbers in 2006 (4.0/gillnet) were normal for this lake class, but were lower than the average catch of 9.8/gillnet in investigations prior to the stocking of walleye. Pike sizes in 2006 averaged 18.9 inches (1.4 lb), which was somewhat smaller than normal (in the second quartile) for this lake class. The largest pike (caught in a trapnet) was 21.7 inches. All northern pike captured in 2006 were ages 4 and 5. Pike growth was slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards. Yellow perch numbers in the gillnets in 2006 (1.0/net) were lower than normal (in the first quartile) for this lake class. Perch numbers prior to the stocking of walleye were higher, averaging 7.7/gillnet. Perch sizes in 2006 averaged 6.1 inches. The largest (caught in a trapnet) was 7.4 inches. Bluegill numbers in 2006 (10.9/trapnet) were higher than normal (in the fourth quartile) for this lake class. Bluegill sizes averaged 6.6 inches; the largest bluegill was 10.4 inches. Most of the bluegill captured in 2006 were ages 3 and 4. Bluegill growth was faster than normal (in the fourth quartile) by area standards. Game fish examined in 2006 were mostly free from diseases or parasites. Only a few fish had neascus (black spot). Neascus is a common parasite that is native to the area. It cannot infect humans, is often removed by filleting fish, and is killed at temperatures used to cook fish.

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

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

Perch has a maximum depth of 13 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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