Pleasant

Pleasant Lake is a 335 acre lake located four miles south of Eveleth. The lake has one access which is a concrete ramp off the Pleasant Grove Road. It has a maximum depth of 33 feet and brownish green colored water at the time of this survey. On June 7, 2021 Pleasant Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 75 F and a bottom temperature of 47 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 18.0 feet where the temperature was 55 F. Pleasant has three inlets, two of which come from local wetlands and the third is a tributary from Warren Lake. The lone outlet flows to the St. Louis River. Most of the lake bottom substrates along the shoreline is sand with smaller amounts of detritus, silt, and gravel. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 12 feet and a fringe of emergent vegetation is found around most of the lake with concentrations of additional submergents in most of the bays. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 15.7 fish/net which was below average compared to past surveys on Pleasant Lake. Fish species sampled in gill nets were northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, black crappie, and walleye. The overall trapnet catch rate for all fish combined was 81.2 fish/net which was the highest on record for Pleasant Lake. Additional fish species sampled in trap nets that weren't also caught in gill nets were bluegill, golden shiner, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, rock bass, and common shiner. The northern pike gillnet catch was 9.0 fish/net which was the highest on record for the lake and very good compared to other similar lakes. Sizes ranged from 13.5 to 32 inches with an average of just over 23 inches which was similar to sizes from past pike catches on the lake. Electrofishing was used for the second time on Pleasant Lake for largemouth bass sampling. Fifty-two largemouth bass were captured in 1.33 hours of fishing for a total catch rate of 39.0 bass/hour. This was above average compared to other area largemouth lakes. Lengths ranged from 6 to 18.5 inches with an average of nearly 14 inches. The average weight was nearly 2 pounds which was quite good when compared to other area largemouth lakes. Growth rates were also very good with the typical 4 year old fish measuring nearly 12 inches. The black crappie trapnet catch rate was 5.7 fish/net, which was good compared to other similar lakes and the second highest catch on record for Pleasant Lake. Lengths however were fairly small ranging from 4 to nearly 9 inches with an average of just under 7 inches. These small sizes were similar to past catches on Pleasant Lake. The bluegill trapnet catch was 69.7 fish/net which was by far the highest on record for the lake. Sizes were similar to past surveys with a range from 3 to 8 inches and an average of just over 5 inches. Ages ranged from 3 to 10 years old with no missing year classes. Growth rates were slow with the average fish taking four years to reach four inches long. The yellow perch gillnet catch rate was 3.3 fish/net which was below average compared to other similar lakes but right at the average of all past surveys on Pleasant Lake. Lengths ranged from 5 to nearly 10 inches with an average of just over 6 inches. Other species sampled in similar numbers to past surveys were white sucker, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, walleye, and rock bass. Common shiner and golden shiner were both sampled for the first time in Pleasant Lake.

Pleasant Lake is located four miles south of Eveleth with its main access via a concrete ramp off of Pleasant Grove Road. This 345 acre lake has a maximum depth of 33.0 feet. The water color at the time of this survey was green because of a fair amount of pollen in and on the water. With the exception of a small parcel of State land on the north shore of the lake, all of the land around Pleasant Lake is privately owned. Camp Chicagami, formerly a scout camp, owns 80 acres along the southeast shore, and the Minneapolis YMCA's Camp Warren owns several hundred acres along the southwest shore. On July 8, 2013 water temperatures ranged from 77F at the surface to 48F at the bottom, oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to 16 feet deep. Shoreline substrates consist mostly of sand with smaller amounts of detritus, silt, and gravel. The 2013 northern pike gillnet catch rate was 5.1 fish/net which is quite good compared to other similar lakes throughout the state and better than the historic average for Pleasant Lake. Sizes ranged from 17 to 29 inches with an average of 22 inches. However, 28% of the pike sampled were over 24 inches long which is unusual for area lakes. Growth rates were similar to other lakes in the area. Fish were aged up to 7 years old. Of the 46 pike examined for diseases and parasites, ten had neascus (black spot). In 2013, no special regulations existed for northern pike on Pleasant Lake. With high numbers of fish, good growth, and the high average size, anglers are encouraged to release pike over 24 inches and the harvest pike under 22 inches. This should help both grow larger pike, as well as reduce the number of "hammer handle" pike that could become the norm if these bigger fish are not released and allowed to reach larger sizes. Large pike help keep the numbers of small pike down, often by cannibalizing them. Largemouth bass were sampled with gill nets, trap nets, and by electrofishing for the first time in 2013. The gillnet catch rate was 0.7 fish/net which is slightly above average for similar lakes throughout the state. The greatest sample size came from electofishing. Sizes ranged from 4 to 19 inches with an average of 12 inches. The average weight was 1.4 pounds per fish. Growth rates were similar to other lakes that contain largemouth bass in the area. Fish were aged up to 10 years old. Eleven walleye were caught in gill nets for a catch rate of 1.2 fish/net which is low compared to other similar lakes throughout the state. Sizes ranged from 9 to 21 inches with an average of 16 inches. Growth rates were average compared to other walleye lakes in the area. Ages ranged from 2 to 6 years with all fish coming from stocked years. Because of continued low gillnet catches indicating a very poor return on fingerling walleye stocking, stocking was ended on Pleasant Lake after 2013. The lake has a very good largemouth bass and northern pike fishery and it was decided management efforts were best focused on these species. The black crappie trapnet catch rate was 8.0 fish/net which is quite high compared to other similar lakes throughout the state and the highest catch rate on record for Pleasant Lake. Lengths ranged from 5 to 12 inches with an average of 7.5 inches. Almost all crappies sampled were under 10 inches in length. Growth was extremely slow with ages ranging from 3 to 13 years. The bluegill trapnet catch rate was 30.2 fish/net which is higher than 75% of other similar lakes throughout the state. Sizes ranged from 3 to 9 inches with an average of 6 inches. Growth was somewhat slow when compared to other lakes in the area. Ages ranged from 3 to 13 years old. The 2006 year class appeared to be quite strong with nearly 47% of the total catch coming from this class. Of 58 bluegill observed for diseases and parasites, every one contained neascus (black spot) and two were infested with yellow grub. The yellow perch gillnet catch rate was 0.9 fish/net which is the lowest catch rate on record for Pleasant Lake. Sizes were also small with an average weight only being 0.1 pounds/fish. Lengths ranged from 5 to 6 inches. Additional species sampled in Pleasant Lake were white sucker, rock bass, pumpkinseed, hybrid sunfish, brown bullhead, and yellow bullhead.

Pleasant Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 5, which consists of 64 lakes in northeast Minnesota that have clear and moderately soft (unmineralized) water. Pleasant Lake ranks as mesotrophic according to Carlson's Trophic State Index.Pleasant Lake has three inlets, two of which drain local swamps. The third inlet, from Warren Lake, has a beaver dam which is a barrier to fish movement. The outlet, to the St. Louis River, has marshes and beaver dams which limit fish movement. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly sand, with smaller amounts of detritus, silt, and gravel. Aquatic plants grow to a depth of 12 ft and are found in a fringe around the entire lake with concentrations in bays. The most common plants are sedges, coontail, milfoil, various pondweeds, yellow and white waterlilies, pickerelweed, and hardstem bulrush.With the exception of a small parcel of State land on the north shore of the lake, all of the land around Pleasant Lake is privately owned. Camp Chigami, formerly a scout camp, owns 80 acres along the southeast shore, and the Minneapolis YMCA's Camp Warren owns several hundred acres along the southwest shore. A public access on the north shore has a concrete boat ramp. Summer boat fishing pressure was estimated by a 1988 aerial survey at 14.5 angler-hours/acre, which was considered to be moderate pressure at the time.Fish populations in 2003 were sampled with nine gillnets, nine standard trapnets, and four small mesh (1/4" bar mesh) trapnets which were used in lieu of shoreline seining to check young-of-year fish populations. Five previous fisheries investigations, dating back to 1959, used 5-6 gillnets. Four of these previous investigations used 7-8 trapnets. Shoreline seining was done during the 1959 and 1979 investigations.Fish populations in 2003 were dominated by northern pike and bluegill sunfish, followed by black crappie and white sucker. Other species were present in low numbers, although the sampling gear probably underestimated largemouth bass numbers. Bass are known to be "net shy" and difficult to catch in sampling nets. Fair numbers of largemouth bass fingerlings were caught in the small mesh trapnets in 2003. All three species of bullhead (black, yellow, and brown) have been identified in this lake during various investigations, and there has likely been some confusion between them.Northern pike numbers in 2003 (6.3/gillnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 2.7/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Pike sizes in 2003 averaged 23.7" (3.3 lb), which was in the third quartile for this lake class and was smaller than the average size of 25.0" in all investigations on this lake. The largest pike in 2003 was 34.0". Pike scales collected in 2003 were difficult to read, but most pike appeared to be ages two, four, and five. Pike growth appeared to be somewhat faster than normal (in the third or fourth quartile, depending on the age) by area standards.Bluegill numbers in 2003 (28.6/trapnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 21.9/trapnet in all investigations on this lake. Fair numbers of fingerling bluegill were caught in the small mesh trapnets in 2003. Bluegill sizes in 2003 averaged 5.1" (0.10 lb), which was in the first quartile for this lake class. The largest bluegill in 2003 was 7.9". Most bluegill captured in 2003 (61 percent) were age five. Bluegill growth was slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.Crappie numbers in the trapnets in 2003 (4.6/net) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were similar to the median catch of 4.0/trapnet in all investigations on this lake. Crappie numbers in the gillnets in 2003 (14.7/net) were also in the fourth quartile for this lake class, but were higher than the median catch of 2.6/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Crappie sizes in 2003 averaged 6.6" (0.15 lb) in the trapnets and 6.4" (0.14 lb) in the gillnets, both of which were in the first quartile for this lake class and were smaller than crappie sizes in previous investigations on this lake. The largest crappie in 2003 was 9.5". Crappie recruitment was evenly spread among ages two, three, five, and six. Crappie growth was slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.Walleye have been stocked in Pleasant Lake periodically since 1912. Recently, walleye fingerlings have been stocked biennially since 1983. Walleye numbers in 2003 (0.7/gillnet) were in the first quartile for this lake class and were lower than the median catch of 2.5/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Walleye sizes in 2003 averaged 15.7" (1.5 lb), which was in the third quartile for this lake class and was smaller than the average size of 16.9" in all investigations on this lake. Walleye scales collected in 2003 were moderately difficult to read, but all walleye except one appeared to be from years stocked with fingerlings and walleye growth was somewhat faster than normal (in the third quartile) by area standards. Anglers on the lake reported occasionally catching nice-sized walleye.Most of the game fish examined in 2003 were infected with neascus (black spot). One of the bass had bass tapeworm larvae in its viscera. Several of the perch had yellow grub in their skin. All of these parasites are common and are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.

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

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

Pleasant has a maximum depth of 33 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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