Ball Club Lake (Cook County)
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16018200
Ball Club Lake (Cook County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Ball Club Lake (Cook County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 206 acres, 159 littoral acres, 6.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16018200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/1/1983 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | USF |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden shiner | 1/4-in trap nets | 166.00 | 996 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 1/4-in trap nets | 30.00 | 180 | 0.02 |
| White sucker | 1/4-in trap nets | 2.67 | 16 | 0.57 |
| Blacknose shiner | 1/4-in trap nets | 2.00 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | 1/4-in trap nets | 1.00 | 6 | 1.00 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 10.83 | 65 | 0.88 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 7.33 | 44 | 1.83 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 27 | 0.13 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.90 | 19 | 0.64 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.10 | 11 | 0.20 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.20 | 2 | 0.78 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Ball Club Lake is located about 20 miles from the City of Grand Marais and can be accessed from the Ball Club Lake Road, a well-maintained gravel road north of Two Island Lake. There is a concrete boat launch at the lake and a small camping area, with parking for six or seven vehicles. There is no development on the lake. This survey of Ball Club Lake was completed to update population data for Walleye and Northern Pike and to monitor for the introduction of undesirable fish species to the lake. Ball Club Lake is managed primarily for Walleye, with a long-term goal of maintaining a minimum gill net catch of 6.0 fish/set, including some fish over 20 inches. The secondary management species is Northern Pike, with a long-term goal of maintaining a minimum gill net catch of 1.5 fish/set, and the presence of some fish over 25 inches. Regular Walleye stocking on the lake occurred in the 1970s and 1980s but was discontinued due to sufficient natural reproduction documented in most surveys completed at that time. Management goals for the Ball Club Lake Walleye population were met in the 2022 standard survey. The gill net catch exceeded the normal range of catches for similar lakes and was the highest observed for Ball Club Lake since 1983. Most of the Walleye sampled in 2022 were small, although one Walleye over 20 inches was captured. The mean weight for Walleye taken in gill nets was low compared to similar lakes in this area, but comparable to mean weights attained in past surveys of this lake. Fair numbers of Walleye were also sampled in 0.75-inch-mesh trap nets. Walleye natural reproduction appeared very consistent over the past ten years. Relatively strong year classes were apparently produced in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The 2021 year class also accounted for about 26% of the combined Walleye sample suggesting an additional strong year class may contribute to the fishery in the coming years. Walleye growth rates had been about average; Walleye average 11.6 inches at the end of their third year, compared to an area mean of 12.1 inches at that age. Northern Pike were not captured in any sampling gear in 2022. Northern Pike gill net catches in this lake have varied widely and catches of zero fish have occurred in the past. Previously, low catches have always been followed by a quick recovery, with no management intervention. However, this marked the second consecutive survey in which Northern Pike were absent. Yellow Perch gill net catches have shown an increasing trend over the last several surveys of Ball Club Lake, which could be the result of reduced…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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