Muckwa

Muckwa is a 146-acre lake located six miles northwest of Babbitt. Like similar Tower Area walleye lakes Agassa and Nina Moose, Muckwa is shallow, bog-stained, and has moderate water clarity. Muckwa is five miles down the minimum maintenance Bear Island Cabin Road, and the access is carry-down only. A high clearance vehicle with four-wheel drive is suggested, but a lighter vehicle would be sufficient until the last 1/4 mile to the lake. Boat trailers are not recommended. Recent logging activity at the turn to the lake had somewhat obscured the access trail. Camping is not allowed at the parking area, but there are some boat-accessible user-maintained sites on the lake. Its backcountry location, minimal development, and reputation as a walleye fishery make it a destination fishing trip. The 2023 survey catch was dominated by walleye and yellow perch. Low numbers of white sucker are also present in this simple fish community. This survey was targeted to evaluate walleye stocking so only gill nets were used. Walleye numbers, at 11.5/gill net, were lower than recent surveys of Muckwa, but above average for the Tower Area. Lengths ranged from 13 to nearly 22 inches with an average of 16 inches. Walleye growth was average with four-year-old fish measuring 14 inches. Muckwa is stocked with walleye fry but is primarily a self-sustaining population. Over 90% of the walleye captured were not from stocked years and several year classes were present. The 2020 year class represented 41% of the walleye captured, and walleye fry were not stocked in that year. Yellow perch numbers, at 21/gill net, were also lower than recent surveys of Muckwa, but above average for the Tower Area. Lengths ranged from 5 to 10.5 inches with a mean length just short of 8 inches. Anglers targeting perch may find numbers of eater fish, and Muckwa has historically produced quality-sized perch.

Muckwa is a 146-acre lake located six miles northwest of Babbitt and just a mile north of Bear Island Lake. Muckwa Lake is a shallow (max. depth=8.5 feet), bog-stained lake with moderate water clarity and low productivity. Access requires traveling five miles down a rough forest road (Bear Island Cabin Road). Boat trailers are not recommended. This investigation found a simple fish community in Muckwa Lake. Walleye made up the greatest proportion of the catch (by weight) followed by white sucker and yellow perch. Walleye abundance (25.0/net) in Muckwa Lake in 2010 was comparable to abundance recorded during the previous two assessments (1995 and 2000). Compared to other lakes in the same classification however, walleye abundance in Muckwa was exceptional exceeding the 75th percentile. Walleye caught during this investigation ranged in length from 9.3 to 26.0 inches and averaged 15.4 inches. Forty-four percent of the walleye exceeded 17 inches in length. Seven year classes were present in the walleye catch with one and four year old fish being most numerous. The earliest assessments on Muckwa indicated that walleye were not native to the lake. DNR Fisheries stocked walleye in Muckwa up until 1996 when it was determined that natural reproduction was maintaining the population. All of the walleye captured during this investigation were from natural reproduction. Yellow perch appear to be the primary forage for Muckwa's walleye population. Perch abundance (41.0/net) in 2010 was similar to previous investigations on Muckwa but greatly exceeded catches from all other lakes in the same classification. Most of the yellow perch caught were small (50% less than eight inches) however, 32% of the catch exceeded ten inches. The largest perch was just under twelve inches in length.

Muckwa Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 17, which consists of 99 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small, shallow, and have very soft (unmineralized) and bog-stained water.Muckwa Lake was not thermally stratified on 06/07/2000 and had good oxygen to the bottom. There are no inlets. The outlet to Bear Island Lake has beaver dams and marshes that limit fish movement. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are 62% boulder, 19% muck, 16% rubble, 2% gravel, and 1% ledgerock. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 4 ft; yellow waterlily is the most common plant.This fish population assessment consisted of two gillnet sets and nine trapnet sets. Five previous investigations, dating back to 1964, consisted of 2-4 gillnet sets and 2-9 trapnet sets.The total catch of fish (all species combined) in the gillnets in 2000 of 126 fish/net (95.6 lb/net) was in the fourth quartile for this lake class, and was similar to the median catch of 119.3 fish/net (84.5 lb/net) in all investigations on this lake.The total catch of fish in the trapnets in 2000 of 61 fish/net (40.7 lb/net) was higher than the median catch of 25.5 fish/net (23.0 lb/net) in all investigations on this lake.Early investigations on Muckwa Lake captured very high numbers of yellow perch and low numbers of white sucker. Except for minnows, no other fish species were present. Walleye stocking began in 1985. Walleye numbers in 2000 (27.5/gillnet, 10.7/trapnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were similar to the median catches of 22.3/gillnet and 8.4/trapnet in all investigations since walleye were introduced. Walleye sizes in 2000 averaged 16.2" (1.6 lb) in the gillnets and 13.4" (1.2 lb) in the trapnets, which was in the third and second quartiles, respectively, for this lake class. The largest walleye was 27.2". Most of the walleye (54 percent) were ages one and two, from the non-stocked years of 1998 and 1999. Walleye growth was in the fourth quartile for area lakes.White sucker numbers in 2000 (12.0/gillnet, 8.1/trapnet) were in the third and fourth quartiles, respectively, for this lake class, and were similar to the median catches of 18.3/gillnet and 7.6/trapnet in all investigations on this lake. Sucker sizes averaged 19.5" (3.0 lb) in the gillnets and 18.9" (2.7 lb) in the trapnets, which was in the fourth quartile for both gear types.Yellow perch numbers in 2000 (86.5/gillnet, 41.9/trapnet) were in the fourth quartile for both gear types, and were higher than the median catches of 69.5/gillnet and 14.2/trapnet in all investigations on this lake. Perch sizes averaged 7.1" (0.18 lb) in the gillnets and 6.7" (0.14 lb) in the trapnets, which was in the second quartile for both gear types. The largest perch was 12.2". Perch growth was at the third quartile for area lakes.Many of the walleye and yellow perch examined during this assessment had "black spot" (neascus) in their skin.

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

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

Muckwa has a maximum depth of 8.5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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