Lost

Lost Lake is a 107 acre, ecological class 5 lake located off Co Rd 334 and 8 miles southeast of Eveleth. There is one public access with a gravel ramp in the southwest corner of the lake (parking is limited). Lost Lake has a maximum depth of 44 feet and clear water. Lost Lake was stratified on June 23, 2014 with a surface temperature of 70 F and 41 F at the bottom. Oxygen levels were adequate to a depth of 21.0 feet. There is one prominent inlet and outlet. The Lost Lake Outlet comes in on the northeast corner from Bass Lake and goes out on the middle of the south shore. It is a short distance from the outlet to the confluence with the St. Louis River and at times of high water in the St. Louis, the Lost Lake Outlet can reverse its flow and have St. Louis River water back up into Lost Lake. Shoreline substrates are dominated by sand. Aquatic vegetation is common in bays and on top of mid-lake humps. Development around the lake is fairly high compared to many other lakes in the Tower Fisheries Area. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 7.3 fish/net which was similar to the first survey but below the two most recent. The catch was the highest of all surveys. Fish species sampled in gill nets were northern pike, white sucker, bluegill, and brown bullhead. The overall trapnet catch rate for all fish combined was 19.9 fish/net which was the lowest catch rate compared to the previous surveys. Yield (10.1 lbs/net) was similar to previous surveys. Fish species sampled in trap nets were bluegill, northern pike, black crappie, brown bullhead, white sucker, pumpkinseed, black bullhead, golden shiner, and hybrid sunfish. The northern pike gillnet catch rate was 3.7 fish/net which is above average when compared to other similar lakes and just below the historic average for Lost Lake. The average weight was 3.5 lbs/fish which is good compared to other pike populations in similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 15 to 36 inches with an average of 24 inches which is better than the historic average for the lake. The 36 inch pike is the biggest sampled to date, the next largest was 30 inches from a trap net in 1975. The bluegill trapnet catch was 14.2 fish/net which is good compared to other similar lakes and the second best catch rate on record compared to 21.4 fish/net in 1985. Lengths ranged from 3 to 8 inches with an average of 6.5 inches which is similar to the historic average. Even though the catch rate was quite good, at the time of the survey many additional bluegill were observed in the shallows on beds near trapnet sets. The black crappie trapnet catch was 1.2 fish/net which is below average compared to other similar lakes and below the average historic trapnet catch. Lengths ranged from 6 to 10.5 inches with an average of 9 inches, which is the largest average length on record. Average weight was 0.3 pounds/fish which is normal for this lake class. Previous surveys recorded largemouth bass and yellow perch but none were sampled in 2014.

Lost Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 5, which consists of 64 lakes in northeast Minnesota that have soft (unmineralized) and clear water. Lost Lake is smaller than typical for this lake class and has harder water.Lost Lake was thermally stratified on 06/28/99 and retained good oxygen (more than 2 ppm) to a depth of 23 ft, where the temperature was 47 F. The inlet is from Bass Lake and the outlet is to the St. Louis River. Reportedly, high river levels may reverse the flow of the outlet. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are sand. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 20 ft; yellow waterlily and pondweeds are the most common plants.The total catch of fish (all species combined) in the gillnets in 1999 of 18 fish/net (20 lb/net) was lower than normal for this lake class and was similar to previous catches of 8 fish/net (15 lb/net) in 1975 and 17 fish/net (16 lb/net) in 1985. Lake class 5 is one of the most productive lake classes in northeast Minnesota, in terms of gillnet catches of fish.The total catch of fish in the trapnets in 1999 of 73 fish/net (9 lb/net) had higher numbers than previous catches of 28 fish/net (14 lb/net) in 1975 and 29 fish/net (10 lb/net) in 1985. Higher numbers of small centrarchids were caught in 1999 than previously.Fish populations in 1999 were dominated by bluegill sunfish and northern pike.Bluegill numbers in 1999 (55/trapnet) were higher than normal for this lake class and were much higher than in 1975 (14/trapnet) and in 1985 (21/trapnet). Bluegill sizes in 1999 averaged 4", which is smaller than normal for this lake class and smaller than in previous catches in this lake. The largest bluegill in 1999 was 7.3". Most bluegill were ages four and five. Bluegill growth was slower than normal for area lakes.Northern pike numbers in 1999 (4/gillnet) were normal for this lake class and were similar to catches in 1975 and 1985. Pike sizes in 1999 averaged 20"; the largest (caught in a trapnet) was 29.5". Pike growth was normal for area lakes.Sucker numbers in 1999 were lower than normal for this lake class. Brown bullhead numbers were higher than normal for this lake class. Black crappie numbers were higher than normal for this lake class. The largest crappie was 10.8". Crappie growth was normal for area lakes. Largemouth bass may be more abundant than indicated by this assessment, as bass tend to avoid gillnets and trapnets more than other fish species.Many of the bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, and yellow perch had neascus (black spot). Neascus is a parasite that is native to the area and is found in or just under the skin. It is usually removed by filleting, is killed at cooking temperatures, and cannot infect humans.

White sucker and bluegill are present in above average numbers; northern pike and black crappie are present in average numbers; largemouth bass are present in below average numbers. Black bullhead and pumpkinseed sunfish are also present. Yellow perch, yellow and brown bullhead were captured in the 1975 survey, but not seen in this survey. Northern pike captured were small. Centrarchid were small to average.

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

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

Lost has a maximum depth of 44 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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