Everett

Everett Lake is a 113 acre lake located 6 miles northwest of Ely. The lake has two portage accesses, the main access is a 170 yard portage from the Echo Trail and the other is a 70 yard portage from Twin Lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet and brown bog-stained water. On July 27, 2020 Everett Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 77 F and a bottom temperature of 64 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 10 feet. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledge rock with muck in the bays. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 9.2 fish/net which was below average compared to past surveys on the lake. Yield was 16.4 lbs/net which was right at the lakes historic average. Fish species sampled were white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, walleye, black crappie, largemouth bass, and bluegill. Walleye fingerlings are currently stocked in Everett Lake every other year. The 2020 walleye gillnet catch rate was 0.7 fish/net, which was low compared to other similar lakes as well as past surveys on Everett. Lengths ranged from 11 to just over 21 inches with an average of 17.5 inches. Weights were decent at an average of two pounds per fish. Fish were aged up to 10 years old, and all fish came from stocked year classes. The northern pike gillnet catch was 1.7 fish/net which was the lowest on record since 1975. Lengths ranged from 22 to 39 inches with an average of 26.5 inches. The average weight was quite good at over four pounds per fish. The 39 inch fish was also the largest pike sampled in all surveys on Everett Lake. The yellow perch catch rate was 2.7 fish/gill net which was below average compared to other similar lakes but right at the average for Everett Lake. Sizes were similar to past surveys but relatively small with a range of 6 to 7 inches.

Everett Lake is located approximately 6 miles NW of Ely in the Superior National Forest. There are two options for public access and both require portaging. The first is a 30 rod portage from a small parking lot off the Echo Trail (CR 116). The second is a 13 rod portage from East Twin Lake. There is one campsite located near the NW end of the lake for camping. Blluegill was the only species sampled in 2016 with numbers above average compared to other similar lakes in the area. Other species sampled in relatively low average abundance include walleye, black crappie, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and white sucker. Bluegill numbers in 2016 (5.6/trap net) were slightly below the historic average (7.5/trap net) for Everett Lake. The average bluegill was only 4.7 inches which is smaller than the historic average of 5.2 inches and the largest bluegill sampled was 7.6 inches. Sixty-five percent of the bluegill sampled in the trap nets were less than 5 inches in length. Seven walleye were sampled in the gill nets and the largest walleye sampled in 2016 was 20 inches long. Walleye fry are stocked during even numbered years in Everett Lake and 6 of the seven walleye were from years where fry were stocked. Black crappie numbers in 2016 (1.2/trap net) were similar to the historic average. Abundance was low but the largest crappie was nearly 13 inches long. Northern pike have historically been sampled in low numbers on Everett Lake and 2016 was no exception. The average pike sampled in the gill nets was 22 inches long while the largest pike was 29 inches.

Everett Lake is 123-acre lake with a maximum depth of 15 feet located 5.5 miles north and 3 miles west of Ely off the Echo Trail in northeastern St. Louis County. Access to the lake is via a 200 yard portage off Echo Trail or a 50 yard portage from Twin Lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical and chemical characteristics. Everett Lake is in lake class 12. Other area lakes in the same lake class include Angleworm, Ed Shave, Hobo, and Johnson Lakes. Lakes in this lake class are small, shallow, and have soft, clear water. Everett Lake is stocked by the DNR with walleye fry in even numbered years. In 2011, the walleye abundance was the lowest of any assessment conducted on Everett Lake. Walleye sampled ranged in length from 13.0 to 20.0 inches. Three of the four walleye captured were from stocked years. The northern pike abundance was low with pike from 16.7 to 24.4 inches in length. No pike was aged older than age five. Pike growth was slightly above average with an age three fish being 19.4 inches long compared to the Tower area mean of 18.2 inches. Bluegill was the most abundant species sampled in trap nets making up 81% of the catch. Bluegill abundance was above what you would typically find in a class 12 lake but down from 2007. Bluegill were generally small ranging from 3.2 to 6.9 inches in length. Ages 3 through 7 were identified, with age 3 (2008) composing 61% of the catch. Growth was slow. By age three, Everett bluegill averaged 3.1 inches long compared to Tower area mean of 4.0 inches. Even though only one adult largemouth bass was captured, 22 young-ofthe-year bass were captured in specialized gear. Everett Lake was selected for fish index of biotic integrity (IBI) sampling. This index is designed to help determine the overall health of the biological fish community of the lake. This type of sampling will typically capture the non-game species and young-of-year game species. Twelve different species were identified. Blacknose shiner, golden shiner, central mudminnow, and tadpole madtom were non-game species sampled. Black crappie, largemouth bass, and yellow perch young-of-year were also sampled.

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

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

Everett has a maximum depth of 15 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Everett is from 2020.

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