Jeanette

Jeanette Lake is a 612-acre lake located eleven miles east of Buyck. There are two public landings on the south side of the lake just off the Echo Trail. The main public landing has a concrete ramp with parking for approximately ten trucks and trailers. The other is located in the Jeanette Lake Campground, which is managed by the US Forest Service. Jeanette has a maximum depth of 15 feet and the water is dark brown. Jeanette Lake is generally quite rocky and surrounded entirely by public land. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 6 feet. Navigational hazards exist throughout the lake from shallow reefs to rogue boulders. These hazards may not always be marked, so boaters should use caution while navigating the lake. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 27.1 fish/net, quite a bit lower than the historic average. Fish species sampled in gillnets were yellow perch, walleye, white sucker, northern pike, and burbot. The overall trap net catch rate for all fish combined was 12.3 fish/net which was higher than average for the lake. Fish species sampled in trap nets were generally the same as sampled in gillnets, although burbot were not present in the trap nets. The 2024 walleye gillnet catch rate was 8.7 fish/net which was average for the lake. Walleye were also sampled in trap nets at a rate of 3.2 fish/net. While trap nets are not generally used to evaluate walleye populations, Jeanette is one of several lakes in the Tower area where trap nets have historically sampled walleye populations quite well. Walleye lengths from both gear types ranged from 7 to 28 inches with an average of just over 13 inches. Walleye captured in trap nets tended to be slightly larger than those caught in gill nets, which could indicate anglers on the lake may be better off targeting shallower waters. Walleye growth is relatively slow compared to other lakes in the area, as it takes between 4 and 5 years for fish to reach 14 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 15 and represented a fairly even mix of stocked and non-stocked year classes. The northern pike gillnet catch was 3.0 fish/net which was above average for Jeanette Lake. Pike were also sampled in trap nets at a rate of 1.2 fish/net. Lengths ranged from 12 to 26 inches with an average of just over 20 inches. Average lengths were similar in gillnets and trap nets. The yellow perch catch rates were 10.1 fish/gillnet and 7.8 fish/trap net. The gillnet catch rate was below average for the lake, while the trap net catch rate was the highest ever recorded. Over 30% of the total perch catch was larger than 8 inches, with fish over 11 inches captured in both net types, indicating perch may provide an additional angling and harvest opportunity for visitors to Jeanette.

Jeanette Lake is a 612 acre lake located eleven miles east of Buyck. There are two public landings on the south side of the lake off the Echo Trail. The main public landing has a concrete ramp with parking for approximately ten vehicles and trailers. The other is located in the US Forest Service managed Jeanette Lake Campground. This gravel ramp has a much smaller parking area, although many users are campground guests and keep their trailers at their camp sites. Jeanette has a maximum depth of 15 feet and dark brown water. Jeanette Lake was weakly thermally stratified on July 9, 2019 with a surface temperature of 76 F and a bottom temp of 67 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish throughout the water column. The lake's five inlets include Jeanette Creek and four unnamed tributaries that drain nearby bogs. The lone outlet is also considered Jeanette Creek which flows into the Little Indian Sioux River. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder, gravel, and ledgerock with muck in some of the bays. Sporadic shallow boulders also exist within the lake basin. Caution should be used while boating. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 6 feet. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 33.0 fish/net which was a little below average compared to past surveys. Total yield was 28.1 lbs/net which was also a little below average. Fish species sampled were walleye, yellow perch, white sucker, and northern pike. No trap nets were set as this survey was targeted to assess walleye stocking. Jeanette Lake is stocked every third year with walleye fry. The 2019 walleye gillnet catch rate was 12.8 fish/net which was above average compared to other similar lakes and very good compared to past surveys on the lake. Walleye lengths ranged from 7 to 26 inches with an average of nearly 13 inches which was comparable to past catches on Jeanette. Growth rates were average compared to other walleye lakes in the area taking 5 years to reach 15 inches. Walleye from this sample ranged in age from 1 to 14 years old with every year class represented. Most of the fish were under 6 years old and no single year class was dominant. Nearly 41% of the 2019 catch came from stocked year classes. This does not mean all of these fish were stocked as there is no way to account for the naturally produced fish that also exist within those stocked year classes. The northern pike gillnet catch was 1.6 fish/net which was low compared to other similar lakes and slightly below average compared to past surveys on Jeanette. Sizes ranged from 16 to 34 inches with an average of 22 inches. The average weight was nearly 3 pounds which was good compared to other similar lakes. The yellow perch catch rate was 12.9 fish/net which was above average compared to other similar lakes but below average compared to past surveys on Jeanette. Perch likely play a major role in Jeanette as a primary food source for walleye and pike. Perch sizes were similar to past investigations, averaging 8 inches with the largest fish just over 12 inches.

Jeanette Lake is a 612 acre lake located eleven miles east of Buyck with its access' off the north side of the Echo Trail. There are two public landings on the south side of the lake. The main public landing has a concrete ramp with parking for approximately ten trucks and trailers. The other is located in the US Forest Service managed Jeanette Lake Campground. Jeanette has a maximum depth of 15 feet and the water is dark brown. Jeanette Lake is generally quite rocky and surrounded entirely by public land. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 6 feet. Navigational hazards exist throughout the lake from shallow reefs to rogue boulders. These hazards may not always be marked, use caution. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 28.8 fish/net; a fair amount lower than the historic average. Fish species sampled in gill nets were yellow perch, walleye, white sucker, and northern pike. The overall trapnet catch rate for all fish combined was 7.9 fish/net which was close to average for the lake. Fish species sampled in trap nets were the same four as sampled in gill nets indicating a relatively simple fish community. The 2014 walleye gillnet catch rate was 6.3 fish/net which was a little below normal compared to similar lakes throughout the state. Walleye lengths ranged from 7 to 30 inches with an average of 14 inches (1.4 pounds). Growth is just below average compared to other lakes in the area. Ages ranged from 1 to 18 years old. The bulk of the catch was made up of 1 to 6 year old fish. Jeanette lake is not scheduled to be stocked because of strong evidence of good natural reproduction, however it has been used in recent years as a lake that can receive surplus walleye fry from the Pike River Hatchery when an excess of fry are available. The northern pike gillnet catch was 2.4 fish/net which was slightly better than 25% of other similar lakes throughout the state. Sizes ranged from 17 to 34 inches with an average of 22 inches. Average weight was 2.7 pounds which was above 75% of other similar lakes. The yellow perch catch rate (14.3/gill net) was quite high compared to other similar lakes throughout the state. Perch sizes in 2014 were similar to past investigations, averaging 8 inches. The largest perch was 11.5 inches.

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

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

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

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Jeanette is from 2024.

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