OutdoorMN News - 3 Cook and Lake county trout lakes to be chemically rehabilitated

[Rick]

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will be chemically rehabilitating three designated stream trout lakes in northeastern Minnesota next week to remove undesirable fish species.

Treatment of North Shady Lake in Cook County, and Beetle and Redskin lakes in Lake County will begin the week of Oct. 3 and should be completed by the end of the week.

This rehabilitation is being done jointly by the DNR and Trout Unlimited, using Trout Stamp, Game and Fish Fund dollars, and Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage funding.

All three lakes will be treated with the selective fish toxicant Rotenone. Treatments will be done aerially, and are expected to kill all fish in the three lakes. Rotenone kills fish, but is not toxic to birds or mammals at the concentrations used in these lakes. While aquatic invertebrate populations will be affected, effects are minimized by the low treatment concentrations, and invertebrates quickly become reestablished.

Rotenone detoxifies quickly in warm waters (usually within two weeks), but may remain toxic for a longer period in the colder waters of these trout lakes. Swimming in or drinking treated water immediately after treatment is discouraged. Fish killed by Rotenone should not be consumed. The three lakes will be posted with informational and warning signs before, during and following treatment.

Stocking of trout in Beetle and Redskin lakes will resume in the spring of 2017 when both will receive brook trout yearlings. Stocking of North Shady will probably not begin until the fall of 2017, when the lake will be stocked with fingerling brook trout.

Anglers fishing these and other stream trout lakes in the area should follow regulations banning the use or possession of live minnows on designated stream trout lakes. Minnows from bait shops or natural sources are often contaminated with undesirable species like yellow perch or bullheads. When these species become established in a trout lake, the lake’s ability to maintain high quality fisheries is greatly reduced. North Shady Lake is currently covered by a special regulation that closes it to winter fishing and allows only catch and release fishing during the open-water season.

Questions about the rehabilitation of North Shady can be directed to the DNR fisheries office in Grand Marais at 218-387-6021, or to the Grand Marais area fisheries supervisor, Steve Persons at [email protected].

Questions about the rehabilitation of Beetle Lake or Redskin Lake can be directed to the DNR fisheries office in Finland at 218-353-8857, or to the Finland area fisheries supervisor, Dean Paron at [email protected].

 

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