Jacob

Louis is a 22-acre designated stream trout lake located nine miles north of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The lake is clear and roughly separated into two basins. The west is the main lake while the east is essentially an intermittent beaver pond. Low water levels resulted in water being less than a foot deep at the time of the survey. The surrounding landscape is mature pines and mixed hardwoods situated on rolling bedrock. No USFS designated campsites are present but a few spots for off-season dispersed camping exist. Brook trout are currently stocked annually. Access to Louis is by a steep 50-rod portage west of the pond between Mudro and Fourtown lakes. It is not officially maintained by the forest service and can be rather discrete. A fallen tree at what constitutes the landing further hides the trail. It generally follows a black ash drainage to the shallow arm of Louis. Water levels were low following failure of the beaver dam at the outlet and made paddling difficult. It appears the trail has seen even less use as of late. Winter anglers should take caution on the pond. Water current in this area often leads to unsafe ice conditions and the channel must be crossed to reach Louis. The 2024 survey consisted of two standard gillnet sets. Brook trout abundance (9.0/net) was greater than the lake average. Lengths ranged from seven to almost 15 inches with an average of 13 inches, which is higher than typical. Trout stomach contents were a variable mix of fish and invertebrates.

Jacob (Louis) is a 22 acre stream trout lake located 9 miles north of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The lake is surrounded by mature pines and mixed hardwoods, has a rocky shoreline with areas of shallow muck, clear water with a secchi depth of 21 feet, and a maximum depth of 52 feet. Access is by a steep 50 rod portage from the west side of the pond between Mudro and Fourtown Lake. There are no US Forest Service designated campsites on the lake. Brook trout fingerlings are annually stocked by plane. Brook trout numbers of 11.5/net exceeded the long term average of 7/net, although size structure remained somewhat small. The average brook trout sampled was nearly 12 inches long and weighed a bit under a pound, somewhat above the long term average of 11 inches. One better sized fish measuring 17 inches long was also captured. Trout stomachs contained primarily midge larvae, although a variety of other aquatic insects and fish remains were also present.

Jacob Lake, better known locally as Louis Lake, is located within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) within the Superior National Forest and is a non-motorized lake. It is accessible by a 250 yard portage off the wide spot of the Horse River, just north of Mudro Lake. It has a maximum depth of 52 feet and very clear water. The lake was thermally stratified on June 4, 2014 with a surface temperature of 69 F and a bottom temperature of 39 F. Ample oxygen for trout was retained to a depth of 30 feet; the temperature was 40 F at this depth. Prior to 2002, brook trout, rainbow trout, and splake were stocked in Louis Lake. Since 2003 brook trout is the only species that was stocked. From 2003 to 2010 the St. Croix Falls strain of brook trout were used for stocking. Since 2011, Minnesota Wild strain brook trout were used. Growth and survival rates are currently being evaluated for this new strain. The catch of brook trout by weight in this assessment was 5.5 lbs/gill net which is just above the established goal. This catch rate was also slightly higher than average for all stream trout lakes within the Tower Fisheries Management Area. Note that trout abundance is expressed in terms of biomass (lb/net) rather than number/net to reduce the influence of occasional high catches of just-stocked fingerlings. Nine brook trout were captured and ranged in size from 10 to 18 inches with an average of 13 inches. Size structure seems to be somewhat small however, with only three of the nine fish being over 15 inches; the remaining six were all less than 12 inches. Stomach content analyses of eight fish showed 3 were empty, 2 contained invertebrates, 2 contained leeches, and 1 had crayfish remains.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Splake in Jacob. 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 Jacob. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Jacob has a maximum depth of 52 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Jacob is from 2024.

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