Maude

Maude Lake is a 95 acre lake located 20 miles north of Tower. The access is via a 160 rod portage from USFS Road 200. The lake has a maximum depth of 26 feet and brown bog-stained water. On July 8, 2021 Maude Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 78 F and a bottom temperature of 49 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 12.0 feet where the water temperature was 59 degrees. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledge rock with muck in some of the bays. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 14.0 fish/net which was tied for the highest on record for Maude Lake. Yield was 10.3 lbs/net which was above average compared to past surveys on the lake. Fish species sampled were yellow perch, walleye, northern pike, white sucker, and black bullhead. Ten walleye were sampled for a catch rate of 2.0 fish/net, which was right at the average compared to other similar lakes but just below average compared to past surveys on Maude Lake. Lengths ranged from 13 to 25 inches with an average of over 16 inches. Ages ranged from 3 to 17 years. Nine of the 10 fish came from stocked years with four year classes represented. The northern pike gillnet catch was 1.4 fish/net which was below average compared to other similar lakes and past surveys on Maude Lake. Lengths ranged from 16 to nearly 22 inches with an average of nearly 19 inches. Sizes were similar to past surveys. The yellow perch catch rate was 9.8 fish/net which was very good compared to other similar lakes and the highest on record for Maude Lake. Sizes ranged from 6 to just over 11 inches with an average of just over 9 inches. Sizes were similar to past surveys. One black bullhead was sampled for the first time in Maude Lake.

Maude Lake is located approximately 20 miles NW of Tower in the Superior National Forest. The shoreline is dotted with ledgerock outcrops and a coniferous forest dominates the landscape. Some sandy areas are present on the east side and a large bog can be found on the north side. Access is by portage (160 rods) from FR 200 and an abandoned logging road (120 rods) also from FR 200 is present. There are two designated campsites located on Maude Lake. No permits are needed for camping. Walleye numbers in 2014 (3.6/gill net) were a little higher than the long term average for all assessments on this lake. Walleye fell into two size groups in this assessment: 8-9 and 14-19 inches long. The largest walleye sampled was 18.4 inches long. Walleye fry are stocked during even numbered years. Northern pike are present in low numbers. The 2014 catch of 1.0/gill net was lower than the long term average for all assessments on this lake. The average pike sampled was 21.7 inches long and the largest pike sampled was 29.5 inches long and had a small walleye in it's stomach. Low numbers of yellow perch, white sucker and burbot are also present. Yellow perch averaged 9.0 inches and the largest perch sampled was 11.8 inches.

Maude Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 10, which consists of 76 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are small and have soft (unmineralized) water. Maude lake is shallower and has water that is darker (more bog-stained) than most of the lakes in this lake class. Maude Lake was thermally stratified on 06/18/2007 with a surface temperature of 70 F and a bottom temperature of 50 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was retained to a depth of 19 ft, where the temperature was 50 F. Three small inlets to Maude Lake drain local bogs. The outlet has a beaver dam and a "C" type spillway dam (head = 1.5 ft), each of which are probably barriers to fish movement. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are 53% boulder, 20% muck, 15% ledgerock, 10% sand, and 2% gravel. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 9 ft; the most common plants are yellow waterlilies, sedges, and bog rosemary. The 2007 fish population assessment sampled fish with five gillnet sets. Seven previous investigations, dating back to 1976, each used 4-5 gillnet sets. Trapnets were only used during the initial 1976 lake survey, and had a catch similar to the gillnet catch that year. Trapnets were not used in subsequent investigations because the logging road that accessed Maude Lake in 1976 was subsequently bermed off to vehicular traffic. The total catch of fish (all species combined) in the gillnets in 2007 of 10.0 fish/net (10.1 lb/net) was in the second quartile for this lake class and was similar to the median catch of 10.1 fish/net (9.9 lb/net) in all investigations on this lake. Lake Class 10 is one of the least productive lake classes in northeast Minnesota, in terms of gillnet catches of fish. Fish populations in 2007 were dominated by northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch. Northern pike numbers in 2007 (1.2/gillnet) were in the first quartile for this lake class and were lower than the median pike catch of 4.4/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Pike sizes in 2000 averaged 21.7" (2.5 lb), which was in the third quartile for this lake class and was larger than in previous investigations on this lake. The largest pike captured in 2007 was 27.4". Pike growth was slower than normal by area standards. Walleye were absent in the initial 1976 investigation. Walleye stocking began in the summer of 1976 and has been done periodically since then. Recently, walleye fry have been stocked biennially at the rate of 1,000 fry/littoral acre (70,000 fry). Walleye numbers in 2007 (2.4/gillnet) were in the third quartile for this lake class and were similar to the median catch of 2.2/gillnet in all investigations since they were first stocked in this lake. Walleye sizes in 2007 averaged 15.2" (1.4 lb), which was in the second quartile for this lake class and was similar to previous investigations on this lake. The largest walleye captured in 2007 was 25.8". Ten of the twelve walleye captured in 2007 were from stocked year classes. Walleye growth was somewhat slower than normal by area standards. Yellow perch numbers in 2007 (5.6/gillnet) were in the third quartile for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 2.9/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Perch sizes in 2007 averaged 9.5" (0.5 lb), which was in the fourth quartile for this lake class and was larger than in previous investigations on this lake. Perch growth was faster than normal by area standards. Low numbers of white sucker and burbot were captured in 2007. Sucker numbers have always been low in Maude Lake, while burbot were first captured in the 1993 investigation.

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

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

Maude has a maximum depth of 26 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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