Armstrong

Armstrong Lake is a 382 acre lake located 10 miles west of Ely. It is accessed by a concrete ramp off Hwy 169. The lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet and clear water at the time of this survey. On August 9, 2021 the lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 72 F and a bottom temperature of 54 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 27 feet where the temperature was 57 F. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly gravel, rubble, and sand. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 14 feet. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 15.8 fish/net which was the lowest catch rate on record for the lake. Yield was 24.5 lbs/net which was the second lowest of past surveys on the lake. Fish species sampled were walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill, largemouth bass, white sucker, black crappie, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and pumpkinseed. Trap nets caught fish at an overall rate of 21.4 fish/net which was the second lowest on record for the lake. Yield was 6.1 lbs/net which was average compared to past catches on the lake. The catch was dominated by bluegill with no additional species sampled in trap nets that weren't also sampled in gill nets. Forty walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 4.4 fish/net, which was just below average compared to other similar lakes but the highest catch rate since the 1997 survey. Walleye lengths ranged from 10 to over 26 inches with an average of nearly 19 inches. The average weight was impressive at over 2 pounds which was better than most other similar lakes in the state. Walleye growth was good with the average fish measuring 16 inches at four years old. Ages ranged from 2 to 9 years with the 2016 year class representing 55% of the total catch. When stocked years were compared against non-stocked years, 32 of the 38 aged fish (84%) came from a year class where stocking occurred. The northern pike gillnet catch was 3.3 fish/net which was the lowest since the 1987 survey but just above average compared to other similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 16 to 34.5 inches with an average over 21 inches. Sizes were on par with previous surveys. Spring night electrofishing was used for the second time on Armstrong for bass sampling. On the night of June 2nd, three electrofishing stations were sampled with each station being fished for 30 minutes. One-hundred fifty total bass were captured in 1.5 hours of on-time for a total catch rate of 100.0 fish/hour. Eight smallmouth were captured in the 1.5 hours of fishing for a catch rate of 5.3 fish/hour. This was below average compared to other area smallmouth lakes. Lengths ranged from 4 to nearly 17 inches with an average of 10 inches. Growth rates appeared relatively slow compared to other area smallmouth populations. One-hundred forty-two largemouth bass were captured during electrofishing for a catch rate of 94.7 fish/hour. This ranked 5th out of 29 recent electrofishing surveys on area largemouth lakes. Fifteen additional largemouth were captured in gill nets (1.7 fish/net) and 17 were also caught in trap nets (1.9 fish/net). Both of these catch rates were very good when compared to other similar largemouth lakes. The widest range of sizes came from the elctrofishing sample with a range from 6 to 17 inches and an average of 12 inches. Like the smallmouth, growth rates appeared relatively slow compared to other area largemouth populations. The bluegill trapnet catch was 16.7 fish/net which was above average compared to other similar lakes but below average compared to past surveys on Armstrong Lake. Sizes ranged from 3 to over 8 inches with an average of 5 inches. Ages ranged from 3 to 11 years with strong representation (over 48% of the total catch) coming from the 2016 year class. Growth was quite slow with the average fish taking 8 years to reach 6 inches long. Nineteen yellow perch were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 2.1 fish/net which was below average compared to other similar lakes and below average for Armstrong Lake. Sizes were small but similar to past surveys with a maximum size of 7 inches and an average of 6 inches.

Armstrong Lake is located approximately 7 miles SW of Ely. There is a boat ramp with a dock and parking lot for public access located on the NW side of the lake off Highway 169. Armstrong has good water clarity and aquatic vegetation is common near shore. Most of the shoreline is privately owned and no campsites are present. Fish populations in 2015 were sampled using gill nets, trap nets and night electrofishing. Eleven species of fish were sampled with northern pike, bluegill and largemouth bass most common. Moderate numbers of black crappie and low numbers of walleye were also present. Northern pike numbers in 2015 were above average compared to other similar lakes in the area and higher than the historic average of 4.8/gill net on this lake. The average pike sampled in the gill nets was 21 inches long which is similar to the past. The largest pike sampled was 37.2 inches long. Twenty percent of the pike sampled were 25 inches or larger. Bluegill numbers in 2015 were above average compared to similar lakes in the area and slightly lower than the historic average on this lake. Bluegill sizes were good. The largest bluegill sampled was 9 inches long. Largemouth bass in 2015 were sampled in abundance by electrofishing and the gill net catch was also above average. Bass caught by electrofishing had an average length of 11 inches and the largest sampled was 18 inches long. Thirty-eight percent of the largemouth sampled from electrofishing were 12 inches or larger. Black crappie abundance in 2015 was above average compared to past surveys. Crappies were found at the size anglers like to keep. Crappie typically have boom and bust cycles driven by a few strong year classes, so fishing success can vary widely across the years. Walleye numbers in 2015 were the lowest on record for survey. The average walleye sampled was 22 inches long and about 8 years old. The largest walleye sampled was almost 30 inches long. Walleye fry have been stocked on even-numbered years since 2004. Because of the low success in fry stocking, the walleye stocking strategy on Armstrong may be changed to fingerling stocking in the future. Smallmouth bass and yellow perch were sampled in low relative abundances. Smallmouth up to 18 inches were sampled and the average perch sampled was over 6 inches long. Rock bass numbers are above average compared to other similar lakes in the area.

Armstrong Lake is located 10 miles west of Ely off of state highway 169 in northeastern St. Louis County near Bear Head Lake State Park. Armstrong is a 389 acre lake with a maximum depth of 34 feet. Anglers will be successful in catching a wide variety species including walleye, northern pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and bluegill. Other species present in lower numbers include black crappie, yellow perch, rock bass and pumpkinseed sunfish. There is a concrete ramp in the southwest corner of the lake off of state highway 169. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota lakes into 43 different types based on physical and chemical characteristics. Armstrong Lake is in lake class 5. Lakes in this lake class typically are moderate in size and depth, and have excellent water clarity. Other area lakes in the same lake class include: Eagles Nest Lakes, Ely, Little Long, Mitchell, St. Mary's, and Wolf Lakes. Walleye abundance has been low in recent years but still within the normal range of similar lakes. The DNR began stocking walleye fry in even years starting in 2004 because of concern about reduced and sporadic walleye recruitment. The last time walleye had been stocked prior to 2004 was 1968 and the walleye fishery had done well with natural reproduction only for many years. Even now, Armstrong occasionally produces a strong year class. In the 2012 assessment, the largest year class sampled was from 2007- an unstocked year. Walleye captured in 2012 ranged in length from 15 inches to 25 inches with an average length of 20 inches. Even though bass are known to be "net shy", many were sampled during the 2012 assessment. Largemouth bass were abundant with many in the 13 to 16 inch range. Smallmouth bass were less abundant but the largest caught was almost three and a half pounds. Northern pike abundance was above what you would typically find in a class 5 lake. Pike were a wide range of sizes up to 36 inches long. Average length from the past two investigations has been very good at around 24 inches. Bluegill were first sampled in 1978 and have been the most abundant species sampled in recent investigations. There were many bluegill in the 6 to 8 inch size range in the 2012 assessment. Anglers need to show some restraint when bluegill are really biting. Throw back the larger bluegill and keep a few of the medium-sized fish for table fare. This will have less of an impact on the size structure for bluegill. This applies to most species anglers pursue. Also in 2012, many black crappie were sampled. They ranged from 4 to 12 inches long and were 2 to 5 years old. In addition to standard fisheries sampling, near-shore netting was conducted on Armstrong Lake to sample the entire fish community. Fourteen different species were identified including green sunfish; Iowa and Johnny darters; mottled sculpin; spottail, common, and golden shiners; bluntnose and fathead minnows; and central mudminnow. In addition, young-of-year largemouth, smallmouth, bluegill, black crappie, and yellow perch were also sampled.

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

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

Armstrong has a maximum depth of 34 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Armstrong is from 2021.

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