Upstead

SEVEN FISH SPECIES WERE SAMPLED WITH GILL NETS, TRAPS NETS, AND MINNOW TRAPS DURING THE LAKE SURVEY. SPORT FISH REPRESENTED SIX OF THE ASSOCIATED SPECIES. THE SAMPLED SPORT FISH POPULATIONS WERE ANALYZED USING CATCH PER UNIT EFFORT (CPUE) AS AN INDEX OF ABUNDANCE AND STOCK DENSITY INDICES TO QUANTIFY SIZE STRUCTURE. PROPORTIONAL STOCK DENSITY (PSD) AND RELATIVE STOCK DENSITY OF PREFERRED LENGTH (RSD-P) FISH WAS USED TO QUANTIFY SIZE STRUCTURE FOR SELECTED FISH SPECIES. GILL NET CPUE FOR NOP WAS SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN BUT FALLS WITHIN THE RANGE OF THE THIRD QUARTILE. TRAP NET CPUE FALLS SLIGHTLY BELOW THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND FIRST QUARTILE OF THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN. FOR NOP, MINIMUM STOCK, QUALITY, AND PREFERRED LENGTH ARE 14, 21 AND 28 IN.(GABLEHOUSE 1984). PSD AND RSD-P VALUES REPRESENT A SMALL TO AVERAGE SIZE STRUCTURE OF NOP WITH A FEW FISH OF PREFERRED LENGTH (TABLE 1). IT IS DIFFICULT TO ASSESS THE NOP SIZE STRUCTURE WITH THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE; HOWEVER, IF THE NOP SAMPLED ARE INDICATIVE OF THE REMAINING POPULATION, PIKE PROVIDE A QUALITY RESOURCE IN UPSTEAD LAKE. TRAP NET AND GILL NET CPUE OF PMK WERE GREATER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND FELL OUTSIDE THE RANGE OF THE THIRD QUARTILE FOR THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN. PMK MINIMUM STOCK, QUALITY, AND PREFERRED LENGTH ARE 3, 6 AND 8 INCHES (GABLEHOUSE 1984). PSD AND RSD-P VALUES FOR PMK REPRESENTS A SMALL SIZE STRUCTURE WITH APPROXIMATELY 55% OF THE SAMPLED FISH LESS THAN 6 INCHES (TABLE 1). TRAP NET AND GILL NET CPUE FOR BLG WERE GREATER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND LAKE CLASS MEDIAN BUT BOTH VALUES FALL WITHIN THE RANGE OF THE THIRD QUARTILE. BLG MINIMUM STOCK, QUALITY, AND PREFERRED LENGTH ARE 3, 6 AND 8 INCHES (GABLEHOUSE 1984). THE BLG POPULATION IS SIMILAR TO PMKS WITH NO FISH SAMPLED GREATER THAN PREFERRED LENGTH (TABLE 1). BACK-CALCULATED LENGTH-AT-AGE WAS DETERMINED FOR BLG AND COMPARED TO MEAN GROWTH RATES FOR BLG IN MINNESOTA. GROWTH VALUES WERE CONSIDERABLY SLOWER FOR BLG IN UPSTEAD LAKE. GILL NET CPUE FOR LMB WAS GREATER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND FELL JUST BELOW THE THIRD QUARTILE RANGE OF THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN. TRAP NET CPUE WAS EQUAL TO THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN BUT FELL WITHIN THE FIRST QUARTILE. DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND BIASES ASSOCIATED WITH SAMPLING LMB WITH GILL NETS AND TRAP NETS, NO STOCK INDEX WAS USED TO QUANTIFY SIZE STRUCTURE. BLC WERE THE MOST ABUNDANT FISH SPECIES CAUGHT IN THE GILL NETS WITH A CPUE OF 22.5. CONSIDERABLY GREATER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND FALLING WELL OUTSIDE THE RANGE OF THE THIRD QUARTILE. TRAP NET CPUE FOR BLC FELL BELOW THE FIRST QUARTILE FOR THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN. BLC MINIMUM STOCK, QUALITY, AND PREFERRED LENGTH ARE 5, 8, 10 INCHES (GABLEHOUSE 1984). PSD AND RSD-P VALUES FOR BLC INDICATE POOR SIZE STRUCTURE WITH FEW QUALITY FISH (TABLE 1) BACK-CALCULATED LENGTH-AT-AGE WAS DETERMINED FOR BLC AND COMPARED TO MEAN GROWTH RATES FOR BLC IN MINNESOTA. GROWTH VALUES WERE CONSIDERABLY SLOWER FOR BLC IN UPSTEAD LAKE. GILL NET CPUE FOR YEP WAS GREATER THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND FELL OUTSIDE OF THE RANGE OF THE THIRD QUARTILE OF THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN. TRAP NET CPUE WAS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN AND THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN BUT FELL WITHIN THE FIRST QUARTILE. YEP MINIMUM STOCK, QUALITY, AND PREFERRED LENGTH ARE 5, 8 AND 10 INCHES (GABLEHOUSE 1984). NO YEP SAMPLED WERE OF PREFERRED LENGTH AND FEW FISH OF QUALITY LENGTH. BACK-CALCULATED LENGTH-AT-AGE WAS DETERMINED FOR YEP AND COMPARED TO MEAN GROWTH RATES FOR YEP IN MINNESOTA. GROWTH VALUES WERE CONSIDERABLY SLOWER FOR YEP IN UPSTEAD LAKE. THE OVERALL FISH POPULATION OF UPSTEAD LAKE APPEARS TO CONSIST OF ABUNDANT (CPUE) OF PANFISH POPULATIONS BUT WITH FEW OF THESE FISH REACHING QUALITY OR PREFERRED LENGTH; HOWEVER, NOP MAY HAVE SIMILAR ABUNDANCES TO OTHER LAKES IN THE SAME LAKE CLASS AND PROVIDE A QUALITY FISHERIES. LOW NUMBERS OF LMB WERE SAMPLED DURING THE SURVEY. PASSIVE GEAR TYPES (GILL AND TRAP NETS) DO NOT EFFECTIVELY SAMPLE LMB BASS TO ESTIMATE ABUNDANCE OR SIZE STRUCTURE; HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN THE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF UPSTEAD LAKE. CONVERSATIONS WITH ANGLERS NOTED THAT CONSIDERABLE NUMBERS OF LMB ARE CAUGHT DURING THE SUMMER ANGLING MONTHS.

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

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Upstead. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

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

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Upstead is from 1992. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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