Elephant

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Elephant Lake, was conducted on July 8-July 10, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment Program (LBMA) staff. Nearshore sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing and 1/8" mesh mini-fyke net were completed at 14 sampling stations. Additionally, a 50-foot seine was used to sample five stations and a 15-foot seine was used at eight stations. These seine stations were completed in non-standard locations to help with sampling efforts and ensure varied habitat types. Nearshore sampling captured 11 species of fish. The nearshore data along with gill net and standard trap net data will be used to develop fish community models for Northeast Minnesota lakes, which will be used to measure lake health in this region. These models may function similarly to fish IBI models developed for lakes across much of the rest of the state. For additional information, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. You can help protect the fish community in Elephant Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Elephant Lake is located approximately 10 miles northeast of Orr, Minnesota. This 728-acre lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet, and about half of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Elephant Lake is part of the Sentinel Lake program, meaning that it is subject to more frequent and intensive lake surveys to monitor long-term environmental changes. A fisheries survey was completed in Elephant Lake during the 2024 field season as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Management Area. The primary management species in Elephant Lake is Walleye, which have been a dominant part of the fishery since at least 1962. Catch rates of Walleye since 1962 however have been highly variable. Walleye fry, frylings, and fingerlings were stocked in 15 years between 1945 and 1996. Walleye fingerling stocking resumed in 2022 and was repeated in 2024 after recent surveys found Walleye catch rates to be below the management goal of 5.0 fish/net. A special regulation exists for Sunfish (Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Green Sunfish, Orangespotted Sunfish, Northern Sunfish, Warmouth, and their hybrids), and allows anglers a daily limit of 10 Sunfish with a possession limit of 20. All other species follow statewide inland regulations. Walleye gill net catch rate was 2.7 fish per net, which was below average compared to similar lakes. The catch rate was below the management goal of 5.0 fish pre net for Elephant Lake. Total length ranged from 9.7 to 30.5 inches and the average length was 19.7 inches. Average weight was 3.4 pounds, which was well above average compared to similar lakes. A total of ten year-classes were present and ranged from 2-19 years. Age-2 Walleye (2022 year-class) accounted for a third of the catch. These Walleye are likely from the 2022 stocking and should recruit to the sport fishery in the next couple of years. While Walleye numbers are down in Elephant Lake, the larger than average size provide anglers the opportunity of a trophy Walleye. Northern Pike gill net catch rate was 4.1 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 19.0 to 33.2 inches and the average length was 25.6 inches. The average weight of Northern Pike was 4.1 pounds, which was above average compared to similar lakes. A total of ten year-classes were present and ranged from 3-13 years. Strong year classes from 2020 and 2021 accounted for approximately 50 percent of the total catch of Northern Pike and averaged in size around 22 inches. With above average catch rates and a decent size structure, Elephant Lake provides a good fishing opportunity for anglers targeting Northern Pike. Black Crappie were sampled at fairly low numbers in the near-shore trap nets (0.7 fish per net) during the 2024 survey. However, the gill net catch rate of 5.5 fish per net was well above average compared to similar lakes. Black Crappie sampled in trap nets ranged in size from 7.0 to 13.4 inches with an average length of 9.0 inches, while Black Crappie sampled in gill nets ranged in size from 4.3 to 12.2 inches with an average length of 9.5 inches. Average weight of Black Crappie in trap nets (0.3 pounds) was slightly below average, while average weight in gill nets (0.5 pounds) was above average compared to similar lakes. A total of ten year-classes were present and ranged from 2-14 years. Elephant Lake offers a good fishing opportunity with quality Black Crappie in the system. Similar to Black Crappie, Bluegill were sampled at a greater rate in the gill nets than the trap nets. Bluegill trap net catch rate was 6.6 fish per net while the gill net catch rate was 11.8 fish per net. The trap net catch rate was below average compared to similar lakes, and the gill net catch rate was down slightly compared to recent surveys. Bluegill sampled in gill nets were slightly larger than those sampled in trap nets. Total length of trap net sampled Bluegill ranged from 3.5 to 9.3 inches and the average length was 6.0 inches. Total length of gill net sampled Bluegill ranged from 3.7 to 9.4 inches and the average was 6.8 inches. Average weight of Bluegill sampled in trap nets and gill nets were similar at 0.2 pounds. A total of nine year-classes were present and ages ranged from 2-10 years. Strong year-classes from 2019 and 2020 accounted for approximately 50 percent of the total catch and averaged in size from 5.5 to 6.5 inches. Elephant Lake offers a good fishing opportunity with quality Bluegill in the system. Smallmouth Bass electrofishing catch rate was 87.1 fish per hour of on-time, which was below the Elephant Lake historical average of 135.0 fish per hour of on-time. Total length ranged from 2.2 to 18.8 inches and the average length was 10.5 inches. Average weight of Smallmouth Bass was 0.84 pounds. A total of 11 year-classes were present and ages ranged from 1-15 years. Smallmouth Bass recruitment in Elephant Lake appears consistent with no single year-class being stronger than others. With good numbers of 12-to-16-inch Smallmouth Bass, Elephant Lake provides a good fishing opportunity for anglers targeting Smallmouth Bass. Yellow Perch gill net catch rate was 25.9 fish per net, which was well above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 5.5 to 10.2 inches and the average length was 6.8 inches. The mean weight of Yellow Perch was 0.13 pounds, which was below average compared to similar lakes. A total of nine year-classes were present and ages ranged from 2-10 years. Although present in above average numbers, Yellow Perch in Elephant Lake tend to be on the small side. Yellow Perch can offer an additional fishing opportunity and more importantly provide great forage for Walleye and Northern Pike, but anglers may have to weed through small ones to find desirable Yellow Perch in Elephant Lake.

Elephant Lake is located approximately 10 miles northeast of Orr, Minnesota. This 728 acre lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet, and about half of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Elephant is part of the Sentinel Lake program, meaning that it is subject to more frequent and intensive lake surveys to monitor long term environmental changes. A fisheries survey was completed in Elephant Lake during the 2019 field season as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Management Area. Anglers familiar with Elephant Lake should note that the experimental regulation for Northern Pike was repealed in 2020 after it failed to significantly improve the size structure of the population. Black Crappie were sampled at fairly low numbers in the near-shore trap nets during the 2019 survey. However, the catch rates in the gill nets were above average for this type of lake. The average size was also bigger than what would be expected for Elephant Lake. Crappies in the trap nets averaged about 9 inches while the gill nets produced an average of about 10 inches. Growth rates were similar to other lakes in the International Falls Management Area. A strong 2010 year class (age 9 at the time of this survey) made up 40% of the sample. Anglers looking for panfish also have an abundant Bluegill population to target. Shallow trap nets sampled Bluegill from 3 to 8 inches, while the deeper gill nets produced Bluegill from 5 to 9.5 inches. Growth rates were slightly slower than the average International Falls area lake. The maximum age for Bluegill during this survey was 10 years old. Northern Pike catch rates were the second highest ever recorded for Elephant Lake. The average size was similar to past surveys, which have shown that Elephant Lake has a Northern Pike population with an above average size structure. Length averaged 25 inches and the largest were over 35 inches during this survey. The average weight was just over 4 pounds. Growth rates were faster than the average International Falls area lake. Ages ranged from 2 to 10 years, but a few recent strong year classes made up the majority of the catch. Equipment failures prevented Smallmouth Bass electrofishing in 2019, which is the preferred method to assess bass populations. However, gill nets sampled enough of these fish to gain some information about the population. Catch rates were average for this type of lake. Sizes ranged from 10 to just over 17 inches and growth was above average for this area. Ages ranged from 4 to 9 years, and the 2015 year class (age 4 at the time of this survey) made up 60% of the sample. Walleye abundance has fluctuated greatly throughout the history of surveys for Elephant Lake, and experimental stocking on top of the naturally reproducing population has been tried without much success in the past. The 2019 survey produced catch rates within the expected range for this type of lake; however, this is less than what has been historically caught in Elephant Lake. A lack of recent year classes has produced a population of fairly old and large Walleye. Lengths during the survey ranged from 18 to 30.5 inches, and an average Walleye was over 23 inches. Ages ranged from 8 to 17 years, and particularly strong year classes in 2011 and 2006 dominated the catch. There is a good stock of spawning fish in Elephant Lake, but expanding populations of other gamefish may be suppressing recent year classes. MN DNR will continue to monitor the success or failure of new year classes in Elephant Lake and adjust management strategies accordingly. Yellow Perch are extremely abundant in Elephant Lake, and likely provide the forage base for most of the larger predators. Catch rates in 2019 were well above average for this type of lake. The average size was normal, with lengths ranging from about 5 to 10 inches. Most Yellow Perch were age 4 or younger, however some of the older fish appear to reach sizes that would be of interest to anglers. Other species caught during this survey include Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.

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

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

Elephant has a maximum depth of 30 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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