West Robinson

Robinson Lake is located approximately 9 miles SW of Ely in the Superior National Forest. This shallow lake is lightly developed and most of the land surrounding the lake has a forest dominated by birch trees. State Highway 169 passes along the south shore of the lake providing motorists a scenic view of most of the lake. There is a gravel boat ramp directly off of Hwy 169 on the south shore. The access is located within the highway right of way and should be used with caution. Small watercraft that can be transported in a truck box or a car top type is recommended. Parking is limited to the highway shoulder. Northern pike numbers in 2014 (9.3/gill net) were identical to the long term average for all assessments on this lake. Pike sizes averaged 19.8 inches typical of past assessments. The largest pike sampled was a respectable 32.5 inches long. Yellow perch numbers in 2014 (13.3/gill net) were up slightly compared to past assessments. Perch sizes averaged 9.1 inches which is slightly larger than the long term average. The largest perch sampled was 12.6 inches long. Bluegill abundance in 2014 (6.2/trap net) was higher than in the past. Bluegill sizes averaged 5.3 inches which is smaller than past average size. The largest bluegill sampled was 7.4 inches long. White sucker was the only other species sampled in 2014. They were sampled in relatively low numbers in both gear types. Sucker were sampled up to 22 inches long.

Robinson Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 17, which consists of 99 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small, very shallow, and have very soft (unmineralized) and bog-stained water. Robinson Lake has a more irregular shoreline than most lakes in this lake class. Robinson Lake ranks as mesotrophic according to Carlson's Trophic State Index.Robinson Lake does not stratify thermally in midsummer and retains good oxygen to the bottom. Low oxygen was found during the winter in Robinson Lake during three of six years tested from 1947 through 1987, and a fish kill occurred in the spring of 2004, with some dead bluegill sunfish, black crappie, yellow perch, and a few largemouth bass found after ice-melt. Robinson Lake has an inlet from Upper Robinson (Deadman) Lake. The outlet to Armstrong Lake has shallow marshes and drops that limit upstream fish movement. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly gravel and muck. The lake is surrounded by grassy sedges and bogs. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 5 ft; the most common plants are muskgrass, waterlilies, bladderwort, Robbin's pondweed, and whitestem pondweed. State Highway 169 passes along the southeast shore of Robinson Lake and the access is a small pulloff within the highway right-of-way. There is a gravel boat ramp and parking room only for the vehicle using the access. Land on the north shore of the lake is State of Minnesota tax-forfeited. The remainder of the shoreline is privately owned and the west shore has recently been subdivided. Seasonal or year-round residences on the lake increased from two in 1990 to eight in 2004. Fish sampling in the 2004 fisheries lake survey consisted of six gillnet sets, nine standard trapnet sets, and four ?" trapnet sets. A previous lake survey in 1990 used three gillnets, five standard trapnets, and two ?" trapnets. Despite the partial fish kill which occurred in the winter of 2004, catches of fish in 2004 appeared to be similar to the 1990 catch, and were dominated by northern pike. Northern pike numbers in 2004 (11.2/gillnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were higher than the 1990 catch of 7.7/gillnet. Pike sizes in 2004 averaged 20.3" (2.3 lb), which was in the third quartile for this lake class. The largest pike was 32.7". Pike scales were difficult to read, but most pike captured in 2004 appeared to be age three (36 percent) or age five (30 percent). Growth of pike through age five appeared to be slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.Yellow perch numbers in 2004 (4.0/gillnet) were in the second quartile for this lake class and were much lower than the 1990 catch of 12.7/gillnet. Perch sizes in 2004 averaged 7.8" (0.2 lb), which was near the median for this lake class. The largest perch was 11.8". Perch scales were difficult to read, but most perch appeared to be age three (42 percent) or age five (38 percent). Perch growth appeared to be somewhat faster than normal (in the third quartile) by area standards.Black crappie were observed for the first time in the 2004 survey. Blacknose shiner were captured in 1990, but not in 2004. Neascus was present on many of the bluegill, northern pike, and yellow perch examined in 2004. Some of the perch also had yellow grub. Neascus (black spot) and yellow grub are common parasites that are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed when filleting the fish, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.

Fish population are dominated by northern pike, yellow perch, and white sucker. Pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish are present in low numbers. Shiners are also present. Northern pike sizes are small. Some large yellow perch and bluegill are present. Yellow perch recruitment is good, and growth is above average for the Ely area.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Yellow Perch, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Pumpkinseed in West Robinson. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

West Robinson has a maximum depth of 8 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in West Robinson is from 2014. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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