Ban

Ban Lake is located approximately seven miles east of Orr, Minnesota. This 389-acre lake has a maximum depth of 10 feet and dark tannin-stained water. A fisheries survey was completed on Ban Lake in 2025 as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Fisheries Management Area. Ban Lake follows statewide regulations for inland waters. Northern Pike regulations follow the North-East zone regulation. Previous management plans identify several long-range goals, including providing a self-sustaining fish community with Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass and Bluegill as the primary management species. Walleye gill net catch rate was 0.44 fish per net, which was below average compared to similar lakes. The catch rate was below the management goal of at least 3.0 fish per net for Ban Lake. Total length ranged from 20.0 to 23.3 inches with an average length of 21.6 inches. Average weight was 3.8 pounds, which was above average compared to similar lakes due to only larger individuals being caught. Only two year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 6 to 7 years. Forty-eight Largemouth Bass were sampled during the survey. Total length ranged from 7.7 to 17.5 inches with an average length of 12.7 inches. Average length of Largemouth Bass at age 4 was 10.1 inches, a rate greater than other lakes in area. A total of six year-classes were present and ages ranged from 3 to 8 years. A strong year-class from 2019 was present and accounted for approximately 40% of the total catch. With good numbers of 12-to-17-inch Largemouth Bass, Ban Lake provides a good opportunity for anglers targeting Largemouth Bass. Smallmouth Bass catch rate was lower than Largemouth but large and healthy individuals were captured. Total length ranged from 11.9 to 16.7 inches with an average length of 14.2 inches. Average weight of Smallmouth Bass was 1.5 pounds, well above the average in the area. A total of five year-classes were present and ages ranged from 8 to 13 years. With good numbers of 12-to-16-inch Smallmouth Bass, Ban Lake provides a good opportunity for anglers targeting Smallmouth Bass. Bluegill trap net catch rate was 22.5 fish per net, which was well above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 3.8 to 9.2 inches with an average length of 6.7 inches. Average weight was 0.27 pounds, which was above average compared to similar lakes. A total of ten year-classes were present and ages ranged from 2 to 11 years. A strong year-class from 2017 was present and accounted for one-third of the total catch, mean length of these Bluegill was 7.1 inches. With above average catch rates and a good size structure, Ban Lake provides an excellent opportunity for anglers targeting Bluegill. Northern Pike gill net catch rate was 1.67 per net. Total length ranged from 16.6 to 38.2 inches with an average length of 26.4 inches. Average weight was 4.1 pounds, well above average compared to similar lakes. A total of seven year-classes were present and ages ranged from 2 to 8 years. With a large size structure, Ban Lake provides a good fishing opportunity for anglers targeting Northern Pike. Black Crappie trap net catch rate was 2.5 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 4.4 to 10.4 inches with an average length of 7.8 inches. Average weight was 0.28 pounds, which was slightly above average compared to similar lakes. A total of seven year-classes were present and ages ranged from 2 to 8 years. Strong year-classes from 2018 and 2019 were present and accounted for 60% of the total catch. With above average catch rates and a good size structure, Ban Lake provides an excellent opportunity for anglers targeting Black Crappie. Other species sampled during this survey included Yellow Perch, Golden Shiner, and White Sucker.

Ban Lake is a 389 acre lake located approximately 7 miles east of Orr, Minnesota. Ban has a maximum depth of about 10 feet and the brown-tinted water has had clarity ranging from 3 to 7 feet in recent surveys. Ban is accessed via a fairly rough road to a newer public access on the northeast side of the lake. Ban is currently managed as a panfish lake, but is also currently being stocked with Walleye fry. This 2019 survey was completed as part of a regular rotation of fisheries surveys in the International Falls Management Area. The Black Crappie catch rates were down from the previous survey. However, Ban has a history of producing higher catch rates than similar lakes. Even though the 2019 survey results were less than the historic average for Ban, the catch rates were still average for this lake type. Crappie sizes in 2019 averaged 8.5 inches, and the largest in the sample measured over 11 inches. Crappies up to 12 years old were caught, and the aging revealed that growth was slightly slower than the average International Falls area lake. Bluegill were first sampled in Ban during the 1993 survey, and catch rates have been steadily increasing since then. The 2019 trap net catch rates were above average for this lake type, and is the fifth survey in a row to set a new record high catch for Ban. The average size was almost 7 inches, and the largest measured just over 9 inches. While abundance seems to be increasing, the proportion of the Bluegill population over 8 inches may have declined since the last survey in 2012. Selective harvest of smaller Bluegill is encouraged to protect the size structure of this population Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass are fairly abundant in Ban. The size of Largemouth Bass tends to be fairly normal in Ban, while Smallmouth are larger than what would be expected in this type of lake. Largemouth averaged 11 inches and the largest measured over 16 inches. Smallmouth averaged 14 inches and the largest were over 17 inches. Largemouth up to 11 years and Smallmouth up to 14 years old were caught during this survey. A strong 2015 year class made up almost half of the total Bass catch. Northern Pike abundance is within the expected range for Ban Lake. The average size is greater than what would be expected to find in this type of lake. Pike ranged from 19 to 36 inches and averaged 24 inches. Growth is normal in comparison to other International Falls lakes, and ages of the 2019 sample ranged from 2 to 8 years old. Walleye have generally been present in very low abundance in Ban Lake. Annual stocking of Walleye fry began in 2015 in an effort to increase abundance. Despite the recent stocking efforts, very few Walleye were caught during this survey. A 16 year old specimen measured nearly 27 inches. Only two other Walleye were sampled. Both were from the 2018 year class, making them 1 year old fish at the time of this survey. Yellow Perch catch rates were slightly less than the historic average for Ban Lake, but still within the expected range. The average size was about 7 inches, and the largest were over 9 inches. Perch are mostly a forage species in Ban, but a small portion of the population reach sizes that may be of interest to anglers. A strong 2015 year class made up about 75% of the sample. Other species sampled in 2019 included 1 Golden Shiner, 1 Rock Bass, and 14 White Sucker.

Ban Lake is a 380 acre lake located approximately 7 miles east of Orr. The lake is relatively shallow with a max depth of 14 feet but most of the lake is 10 feet or less. The previous primitive access is now under private ownership but there is a new more accessible ramp currently under construction in the NE corner of the lake. The walleye catch rate was 0.89/set, below the average of similar class lakes in the state. Walleye lengths ranged from 17.0 to 23.6 with a mean of 20.8 inches. Growth however is quite good, with a mean weight of 3.14 lbs. Ages ranged from 4 to 18 with five individuals being 6 years old. All fish were age-7 or under except one very old (18 years) slow growing individual. The northern pike gill-net catch rate was 3.11/set. Lengths ranged from 16.9 to 31.9 with a mean of 24.0 inches. Growth rates are also very good when compared to other lakes in the International Falls management area with a mean weight of 3.16 lbs. Black crappie trap-net abundance was 4.44/set which is close to average for other similar lakes in the state. Lengths ranged from 4.5 to 12.4 with a mean of 9.0 inches. Growth is slightly above average with a mean weight of 0.44 lbs. Bluegill trap-net abundance was 4.33/set which is close to average for other similar lakes in the state. Lengths ranged from 3.5 to 8.2 with a mean of 5.4 inches. The gill-net catch was also fairly substantial for the first time in surveys and indicates there are some larger fish in the lake. Gill-net lengths ranged from 3.7 to 9.3 with a mean of 7.4 inches however aging data indicates growth rates in this lake might be fairly slow. Largemouth bass gill-net abundance was 1.00/set. Lengths ranged from 5.3 to 16.1 with a mean of 12.2 inches and mean weight was 1.14 lbs. Growth seemed somewhat slow when compared to other lakes in the International Falls management area. Smallmouth bass gill-net abundance was 0.44/set which is not very different from previous surveys dating back to the 70's. Lengths ranged from 5.9 to 13.8 with a mean of 10.3 inches and a mean weight of 0.68 lbs indicating slow growth. Yellow perch gill-net abundance was 0.22/set, which is considerably lower than any of the previous surveys (9.5 in 1974, 58.83 in 1987, 5.63 in 1993, 10.5 in 2000 and 3.22 in 2005). Mean weight was 0.09 lbs and the lengths were 5.9 to 6.3 inches. Additionally species sampled were white sucker, golden shiner and rock bass.

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

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

Ban has a maximum depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Ban is from 2025.

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