Deepwater

Deepwater Lake is a designated stream trout lake located about nine miles north of Chisholm, MN and within the Superior National Forest. The relatively small, 22 acre lake has almost 13 littoral acres, a maximum depth of 37 feet, and a shoreline length about 0.7 miles. There is one U.S. Forest Service carry-in access on the northwest corner of lake. The access trail is 2.4 miles long and prohibits the use of highway vehicles. No ATV use is allowed from the top of hill to the lake shore due to erosion. Deepwater has been managed for Brown Trout since 2001, being stocked in odd years (six times). Splake were stocked once in 2003. One 24 hour gill net sampled 17 Brown Trout and because of the high catch the other 24 hr net was not set. Lengths ranged from 11.7 to 23.4 inches with a mean length of 18.4 inches. Similarly, only one gill net was set in 2007 due to the high catch, which sampled ten Brown Trout. Length frequency was comparable with lengths from 16.6 to 25.4 inches and a mean length of 20.2 inches. A total of 16 half inch trap net sets sampled 12 brown trout for a rate of 0.8/net. Lengths ranged from 19.9 to 23.7 inches and a mean length of 21.5 inches. The catch in 2007 was 1.3/trap net (n=20), with the same netting effort. Lengths ranged from 14.4 to 24.3 inches with a mean length of 19.4 inches. The gill net length distribution was distinctly bimodal indicating at least two age classes. Four fish were sampled with lengths from 11.7 to 13.1 inches (mean=12.2) and are likely from the fall 2013 stocking. Fish from 19.0 to 20.9 inches were within the strongest peak and probably from the 2011 stocking. There may be an additional age class, as there appeared to be another small peak near 23 inches, possibly from 2009 stocking or these fish may have exhibited better growth and are of a larger size than other fish of the same age. There were no fin clips to distinguish between stockings and ageing salominds proves difficult. There appeared to be adequate prey availability as 157 Golden Shiner and 27 Finescale Dace were sampled in trap nets. The 2001 assessment caught 409 Golden Shiner in one small mesh gill net, while 83 were sampled with trap nets in 2007. Near shore sampling included setting four minnow traps. A total of six Brook Stickleback, 1 Central Mudminnow, and 34 Finescale Dace were sampled. There was nothing sampled in the minnow traps in 2007.

Deepwater Lake is a 22-acre lake located nine miles north of Chisholm, MN. The lake has a maximum depth of 37 ft and a littoral area of 13 acres. Access to the lake is by a 2 mile USFS trail from the north. Stream trout were stocked prior to 1993, however, no stocking occurred from 1993 to 2001 due to difficulty transporting fish to the lake. This assessment evaluates the reintroduction of stream trout stocking since 2001. A dissolved oxygen and temperature profile was collected on September 5, 2007. Temperature varied from 69 to 66 F in the top 17 ft above the thermocline. Below 17 ft oxygen was less than 4 ppm and would not sustain trout. Although the temperaure was approaching 70 F, it appears cool enough to sustain trout. Brown trout fingerlings were stocked in 2001 and 2005. The trap net catch rate was 1.3/net and an additional 10 fish were sampled in an overnight gill net. These catch rates are good compared to other area stream trout lakes and indicate a healthy population. Size structure from these two-year classes was good with fish varying in length from 14 to 24 inches. The presence of larger brown trout indicated excellent survival and growth. Splake were stocked in 2003 and the catch rate in trap nets was 0.6/net. No splake were sampled in the gill net. Size structure was good with fish varying in length from 20 to 25 inches. Abundance was excellent considering these fish were stocked four years ago. Golden shiner catch rate was 5.2/trap net, which indicates this important prey species was still available. Two minnow traps did not sample any species in 2007. Minnow traps set in 2001 sampled several minnow species including abundant golden shiners. Reintroduction of stream trout has caused an expected decline in the minnow population through predation. Recent brown trout and splake stockings have reestablished a quality fishery in Deepwater Lake. It is likely that abundance will decline in the future because the prey base has declined since the initial stocking in 2001. As word spreads of this fishery, angler harvest will also be expected to increase.

Deepwater Lake is a lake class 10 lake located north of Chisholm, MN. The lake is 22 acres and is managed for stream trout. Public access is through a mile and a half long trail from the north end of the lake. A Forest Service campsite is also available on the north shore. Two gill nets, a smelt net, and a minnow trap were set to determine the fish species composition and abundance. Deepwater lake was stocked with rainbow trout until 1993. Brown trout were scheduled to be stocked after this time, however, poor accessibility prevented stocking. The purpose of this assessment was to determine if the species community of Deepwater Lake was still suitable for trout management. A single golden shiner was sampled in two experimental gill nets. A small-mesh smelt net was set in addition to a minnow trap to sample small fish not sampled by traditional gill nets. Golden shiners were very abundant with a catch rate in the smelt net of 409/net. Golden shiners were also very abundant in the minnow trap as well. No gamefish were sampled, which indicates that Deepwater Lake is suitable for trout management. Brown trout fingerlings were stocked in the fall of 2001.It is important that anglers fishing designated trout lakes follow the regulations prohibiting the use of live bait. Once undesirable fish species become established, many lakes are no longer suitable for stream trout.

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

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

Deepwater has a maximum depth of 37 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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