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I am heading up to Larson's Barn on Rat Lake for a music and camping weekend!! I am debating bringing up my canoe and have had no prior experience with this lake. What are the odds of hooking into a few fish. Maybe just a catch and release for fun. Any help and or info would be greatly appreciated!! Looking forward to any response!!!

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It used to be a great lake for panfish, but has been heavily fished during the winter the last couple of years. I think you will do alright with numbers but size will not impress you.

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Here's what the DRN says...

Status of the Fishery (as of 07/01/2002)

Rat Lake is a shallow, bog stained lake located in east central Aitkin County. Rat Lake has a history of occasional winterkill but it has not suffered a known winterkill since 1977. Northern pike, bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish have all increased in abundance since the last survey. With this increase in the abundance the bluegill have shown a slower growth rate and a smaller average size than seen in past surveys. While the average length sampled decreased there were still several bluegill over nine inches in length sampled in this survey.

Black crappie abundance was similar to the index of 1997, but the average size was smaller. This appears to be the result primarily of age class distribution. One-third of the fish sampled in this survey were from one year class, three year old fish, while in 1997 the age class distribution showed that there were four year classes of almost equal strength supporting the fishery.

The northern pike gill net catch index increased since the last survey (1992) but unlike that survey, several fish were sampled that were larger than 23 inches. The influence of these larger individuals increased the average length almost three inches and the average weight increased almost one pound. Even though their growth rates are slower than normal, Rat Lake does have the potential to produce some trophy sized northern pike.

Walleye abundance is similar to the 1997 sample, and is still within the normal range for this lake class. Age class distribution indicates that there is little, if any, natural reproduction of walleye in Rat Lake as all of the walleye sampled were from year classes supplemented with walleye fry stocking. Growth rate is good and the average sampled walleye was over seventeen inches in length.

Yellow perch, while not overly abundant, are within the normal range for this lake class. While there was still a wide range of sizes sampled the numbers of larger individuals appears to be decreasing which is consistent with an increasing abundance of northern pike.

Bullhead populations were low. Both brown and yellow bullhead are below their normal range for this lake class.

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Keith,

What is your take on Rat Lake?

I haven't been there in years. We used to dance at the barn back when I lived in Palisade.

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the lake had a good year or two back a few years for crappies and gills. but the size has gone down hill, mostly from over fishing. it will come back, but it will be a year or two.

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I have fished this lake every opener and Mem weekend and then some for the last 20 years. The size of the crappies is way below average from a few years back. Sunnies are all over. I can catch em that size in the cities. With the overfishing for such a small lake, it will be years before it recovers. Please keep all snakes if you would. No one ever ice fished the lake. Now they do and it has ruined a great panfish lake. Not to mention all the little northerns that eat all the panfish. It also did not help that Wileys bait put this lake in the outdoor news a few years ago. Way to go. They could not mention another bigger body of water in the area? frown.gifmad.gif

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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