Minister

Minister Lake is a 56 acre lake located five miles northwest of Ely. The access is a small earthen ramp suitable for small boats on the southeast side of the lake, just off the Passi Road. The lake has a maximum depth of 16 feet and brown colored water. The northwest part of the shoreline on Minister is Superior National Forest land but the remainder of the shoreline is in private ownership. Most of the shoreline is either rock or bog fringe. Minister Lake was thermally stratified on July 5, 2016 with a surface temperature of 73 F and a bottom temperature of 63 F. Adequate oxygen for most fish was retained to a depth of about 12 feet, where the temperature was 66 F. Minister has one small inlet draining local marshland and the lone outlet is to Burntside Lake. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly silt, boulder, rubble, and gravel. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 7 feet. Minister Lake has not been stocked with walleye since the late 1980's. Surveys done around the time the lake was stocked showed lower catch rates than surveys done after stocking had been discontinued. This is the seventh fisheries survey on Minister Lake, the initial survey was done in 1966. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 11.5 fish/net which is average compared to other surveys on the lake. Fish species sampled were walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, and white sucker. The overall trap net catch rate was 9.2 fish/net. In addition to the species sampled in gill nets, bluegill, black crappie, and largemouth bass were sampled in trap nets. The 2016 walleye gillnet catch rate was 5 fish/net which is above average compared to the historic surveys on Minister Lake. The trapnet catch rate was 2 fish/net which is very good compared to other similar lakes in Minnesota. Trapnet catches are normally not used to assess walleye populations, but on Minister Lake and several other similar area lakes, trap nets have historically sampled walleye populations quite well. Walleye lengths ranged from 8 to 24 inches with an average of 17.5 inches and an average weight of just over two pounds. Growth was quite good with four year old fish averaging 17 inches. Most of the fish were ages one to four. The northern pike gillnet catch was 3.5 fish/net which is below average compared to other similar lakes in the state. The trapnet catch however was 4 fish/net which is tied for the highest on record for Minister Lake. Sizes ranged from 12 to 27 inches with an average of 20 inches. The average weight was just under two pounds. Two largemouth were captured in trap nets with one bass being quite impressive at 19 inches and over three and a half pounds. The other was much smaller at just 7 inches long. Surveys before and during the 1980's showed relatively high bluegill catches, but the catch rates have dropped since. The average catch rate before 1990 was 20.8 fish/trap net. The three surveys from 1996 to 2016 averaged just 3 fish/net. The 2016 catch was still good compared to other similar lakes in the northeast. Some large fish were present with sizes ranging from 4 to over 9 inches with an average of just under 7 inches. Growth was fast with four year old fish averaging 7 inches which is very good compared to other surveys in the Tower area. Black crappie, yellow perch, and white sucker were also sampled but in low numbers. Some smaller sized northern pike were infested with neascus (black spot) although the bluegill were all relatively clean.

Minister Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 17, which consists of 99 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small, shallow, bowl-shaped, and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Minister Lake ranks as mesotrophic according to Carlson's Trophic State Index. Minister Lake was thermally stratified on 7/5/2006 with a surface temperature of 72 F and a bottom temperature of 57 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was retained to a depth of about 12 feet, where the temperature was 65 F. Minister Lake has one small inlet draining local marshland. The outlet is to Burntside Lake. Barriers to fish movement on the outlet are a beaver dam and a culvert under the Passi Road that has a drop on the downstream end. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Minister Lake are mostly silt, boulder, rubble, and gravel. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 7 feet. The most common plants are sedges and sweetgale along the shoreline, and floating leaf burreed in the water. The northeast quarter of the shoreline on Minister Lake is Superior National Forest land. The remainder of the shoreline is in private ownership, mostly larger tracts. A small, rough dirt access with washout gullies is on the south shore in the Passi Road (County 803) right-of-way. A little used portage crosses the road from Burntside Lake. Riparian development has increased from one summer cottage in 1966, to four summer cottages in 1986, and to six summer cottages or year-round homes in 2006. Fish populations in the 2006 fisheries lake survey were sampled with standard trapnets and gillnets, and small mesh (1/4 inch bar mesh) trapnets. Two previous fisheries lake surveys (1966, 1986) and three fish population assessments (1978, 1985, 1996) used 1-2 gillnets and 1-8 trapnets. Shoreline seines were used during the 1966 survey and small mesh trapnets were used during the 1986 survey. Fish populations in 2006 were dominated by northern pike and walleye. Low numbers of other fish species were caught, although bass numbers may be underrepresented as they are known to avoid capture in standard sampling nets. Fair numbers of young crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, and perch were caught in the small mesh trapnets. A smallmouth bass was caught for the first time in this lake in 2006. Walleye fry were stocked in Minister Lake between 1929 and 1938, and low numbers of walleye were caught during the initial fisheries survey in 1966. Walleye fry, fingerlings, or yearlings were stocked in six years from 1973 through 1988, but walleye numbers remained low and stocking was discontinued. Since then, walleye numbers have gradually increased and the walleye catch in 2006 (7.0/gillnet) was somewhat higher than normal (in the third quartile) for this lake class. Walleye sizes in 2006 averaged 17.4 inches (2.0 lb), which was larger than normal (in the fourth quartile) for this lake class. The largest walleye caught in 2006 was 23.7 inches. Some walleye reproduction has occurred regularly in recent years, as walleye year-class strengths were fairly even. Walleye growth was faster than normal (in the fourth quartile) by area standards. Northern pike numbers in Minister Lake have been fairly stable over time. The northern pike catch in 2006 (5.5/gillnet) was normal (near the median) for this lake class. Pike sizes in 2006 averaged 20.5 inches (1.7 lb), which was somewhat larger than normal (in the third quartile) for this lake class. The largest pike, caught in a trapnet, was 32.9 inches. Pike growth was slower than normal (in the first or second quartile, depending on the age) by area standards. Some of the game fish examined in 2006 were infected with neascus (black spot), yellow grub, or lymphocystis (fish warts). These parasites and diseases are common and are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting fish, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.

Minister Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 17, which consists of 99 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small, shallow, and round, and have very soft and infertile water. Minister Lake stratifies thermally in midsummer, with surface temperatures in the low 70's F and bottom termperatures in the mid 50's F. There is poor oxygen (less than 2 ppm) below 10 ft in midsummer. The outlet usually has a beaver dam that prevents upstream fish movement. Aquatic plants are common along the shore and in the shallow west end of the lake. Muck, boulder, and gravel are the most common bottom types. There have been five biological surveys and assessments on Minister Lake, beginning in 1966.The total catch of fish in the gillnets in 1996 (all species combined) was lower than normal for this lake class, but was similar to previous gillnet catches in this lake. Fish populations in 1996 were dominated by northern pike and walleye.Northern pike numbers in 1996 were in the normal range for this lake class and were similar to previous catches in this lake. Pike sizes in 1996 averaged 22 in, which is larger than normal for this lake class and is also larger than in previous catches in this lake. The largest pike in 1996 was 35.2 in and weighed an estimated 9 lb. Pike growth, 13 in at age two, 17 in at age three, was slower than normal for the area.Walleye numbers in 1996 were in the normal range for this lake class in the gillnets, but were higher than normal in the trapnets. High trapnet catches of walleye are common in lakes that lose good oxygen at shallow depths; Minister Lake has poor oxygen below 10 ft in midsummer. Walleye numbers have increased in both the gillnets and trapnets and in 1996 were the highest ever in this lake. Walleye sizes in the gillnets averaged 18 in and in the trapnets averaged 17 in. The largest walleye was 22.8 in (4 lb). Many of the walleye were from a strong 1994 year class; many area lakes produced strong year classes in 1994 after poor year classes were produced during the cold summers of 1992 and 1993. Walleye growth, 12 in at age two and 15 in at age three, was faster than normal for the area.Bluegill numbers in 1996 were in the normal range for this lake class, but were lower than in most previous surveys and assessments. Bluegill sizes averaged only 5 in, but 15 percent were over 8 in, and the largest was 10.5 in (1.3 lb).Low numbers of white sucker, black crappie, yellow perch, and largemouth bass were also captured in 1996.

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

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

Minister has a maximum depth of 16 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Minister is from 2016. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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