Blueberry

Blueberry Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 14, which consists of 92 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are very small and shallow, and have very soft (unmineralized) water.Blueberry Lake was slightly thermally stratified on 08/09/2005 with a surface temperature of 77 F and a bottom temperature of 72 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was present to within a foot of the bottom. Blueberry Lake has no inlets or outlet. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly rubble, gravel, muck, boulder, and detritus. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 7 ft and are sparse; the most common plant is bushy pondweed.Blueberry Lake is in Bear Head Lake State Park, and is accessible by a hiking trail. A State Park vehicle permit is required. Fish sampling in 2005 was done with two gillnets. Previously, a fisheries lake survey (1998) and a fish population assessment (2001) used three gillnets and two gillnets, respectively. Trapnets and shoreline seines were not used on Blueberry Lake due to the difficult portage access.Fish populations in 2005, as in previous investigations, consisted of high numbers of golden shiner and yellow perch. The catches of these species have declined over time, however.Golden shiner numbers in 2005 (7.0/gillnet) were lower than previous catches of 11.5/gillnet in 2001 and 25.7/gillnet in 1998. Golden shiner sizes in 2005 averaged 6.2", which was similar to their sizes in previous investigations on this lake. The largest golden shiner caught in 2005 was 6.7".Yellow perch numbers in 2005 (27.0/gillnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class, but were lower than previous catches of 30.5/gillnet in 2001 and 49.3/gillnet in 1998. Perch sizes in 2005 averaged 7.9", which was larger than the average size of 7.4" in 2001 and 7.0" in 1998. The largest perch caught in 2005 was 11.6". Perch scales were difficult to read, but it appeared that the growth of perch captured in 2005 was normal by area standards. After the initial investigation in 1998 revealed very high numbers of perch, attempts were made to establish a walleye population in Blueberry Lake that could prey on the perch. In 1999 33/lb walleye fingerlings were stocked at the rate of 0.74 lb/littoral acre (39 lbs), for a total of 1,287 fingerlings. Due to the difficult portage, the fingerlings were in poor condition when stocked. Walleye fry were stocked in 2002 and 2003 at the rate of 1,887/littoral acre (100,000 fry each stocking). No walleye were captured in 2001 or 2005, but the populations of golden shiner and yellow perch declined as though walleye had survived and were preying on these species. Many of the yellow perch captured in 2005 were infected with neascus (black spot), and some of the perch were infected with yellow grub. Both of these parasites 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.

Blueberry Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 14, which consists of 92 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are very small and shallow, and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Blueberry Lake was not thermally stratified on 08/21/2001 and retained oxygen at saturation to near the bottom. There are no inlets or outlets. Bottom substrates are mostly rubble, gravel, muck, boulder, and detritus. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 7 ft and are sparse; the most common plant is bushy pondweed.Fish sampling in this fish population assessment consisted of two gillnet sets. Trapnets were not used due to the difficult portage access. The initial fisheries lake survey in 1998 used three gillnet sets.Fish populations in 2001, as in 1998, consisted of high numbers of yellow perch and golden shiner. None of the walleye fingerlings (33/lb) stocked in 1999 at the rate of 0.75 lb/acre (24 fish/acre) were recaptured in 2001. These fingerlings had been stressed by transportation from Spicer and by the portage to the lake and were in poor condition when stocked.The total catch of fish (all species combined) in the gillnets in 2001 of 42.0 fish/net (6.4 lb/net) was in the fourth quartile for this lake class by numbers of fish and was in the first quartile by weight of fish. It was also lower than the 1998 total catch of 75.0 fish/net (8.9 lb/net).Yellow perch numbers in 2001 (30.5/gillnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were lower than the 1998 catch of 49/gillnet. Perch sizes in 2001 averaged 7.4" (0.2 lb), which was in the third quartile for this lake class. The largest perch was 11.7". Perch scales were difficult to read, but perch growth appeared to be faster than normal by area standards. Most perch were ages 2-4. All perch were infected with neascus or yellow grub, and most were infected with both. Neascus (black spot) and yellow grub are common parasites that are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.Golden shiner numbers in 2001 (11.5/gillnet) were high, but were lower than the catch of 25/gillnet in 1998. Shiner sizes averaged 6.0"; the largest was 6.7".

Blueberry Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 14, which consists of 92 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are very small and shallow and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Blueberry Lake was not stratified thermally on 08/31/98 and retained good oxygen (7.3 ppm) to the bottom. There are no inlets or outlets. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly rubble, gravel, muck, and boulder. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 7 ft and are sparse; the most common plant is bushy pondweed.Fish sampling in the 1998 survey consisted of three standard shallow gillnet sets and four collapsible minnow traps. Trapnets were not set due to the difficult portage access, and shoreline seines were not used due to the lack of suitable seining areas.The total catch of fish (all species combined) in the gillnets of 75 fish/net was higher than normal for this lake class due to high numbers of golden shiner and yellow perch, which were the only species captured. The total catch by weight of 8 lb/net was lower than normal for this lake class. Conspicuous by their absence in this lake are northern pike and white sucker, which are present in 54 percent and 58 percent, respectively, of the lakes in this lake class.Golden shiner numbers (25/gillnet) were higher than normal for this lake class. Shiner sizes averaged 6.0"; the largest was 6.7".Yellow perch numbers (49/gillnet) were higher than normal for this lake class. Perch sizes averaged 7.0"; the largest was 11.4". Perch reproduction was good in most years. Growth of young perch (6" at age four) was normal for the area, but older perch appeared to be growing slower than normal. All of the perch were infected with neascus (black spot) or yellow grub, and most were infected with both of these parasites. Neascus and yellow grub are common parasites that are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting, and are killed at the temperatures used for cooking.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Yellow Perch in Blueberry. 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 Blueberry. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Blueberry has a maximum depth of 14 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Blueberry is from 2005. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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