As a fishing guide I am interested in the health and status of our fishery on Kabetogama and the Namakan Basin (Crane, Sand Point, Namakan, and Kabetogama). As a college graduate in fisheries biology, I try to use my knowledge of the data, to look at insight on growth rates, age-classes, and catch-rates vs. other lakes in Minnesota. Lucky for me I have a couple experts to bounce questions off and get their expert analysis to see if my thoughts have any credibility.
Ben Vondra of the Minnesota DNR, International Falls usually lets me see gill net data, and young of the year catch rates. The area's fisheries team puts together the annual report on each lake tested (which will come out this spring), but I have been privy to looking at some of the raw data before this report is complete. So, the 2024 numbers are in for Kabetogama and Namakan. Remember, the way this data is collected is typically annual "Gill Nets" placed in historically identical areas, at the same week of the season, at the same depths...so as Mr. Vondra told me, water temperatures, air temperatures and other factors can account for subtle differences from year to year.
Kabetogama
(Minnesota DNR lake description/data collection) Lake Kabetogama is part of the statewide Large Lake Program, an intensive fisheries management program on the 10 largest lakes in Minnesota. The Large Lake Program includes annual fish population assessments, annual water quality monitoring, and regularly scheduled creel surveys. A variety of sampling gear is used during population assessments to collect the various fish species and life stages. These gear types include gill nets, beach seines, and an electrofishing boat on Lake Kabetogama. Sampling for each gear type is conducted at the same time and place each year to determine population trends for the major species. Data is also collected on length, weight, age, and growth for each of the major species.
Area: 24,034.09 acres Littoral Area: 7,440 acres Shore Length: 190.54 miles | Mean Depth: 29.9 feet Max Depth: 80ft Avg. Water Clarity: 8.8 feet |
2024 Gill net catch rates for Lake Kabetogama- 20 nets set in Sept. 2024. Mild weather in September made gill netting easier than some years but also means that milder temperatures made for seasonally warmer waters.
Walleye (2024): 8.4 walleyes per net, mean length 16.26"
(2023): 8.2 walleyes per net, mean length 12.8"
(2022): 8.2 walleyes per net, mean length
Sauger (2024): 4.1 sauger per net, mean length 11.93"
(2023): 3.11 sauger per net, mean length 10.98"
(2022): 3.10 sauger per net, mean length 10.6"
Yellow Perch (2024): 12 YEP per net, mean length 8.18"
(2023) 8.75 YEP per net, mean length 8.75"
Black Crappie (2024): 0.75 Crappie per net, mean length 10.69"
Kabetogama Summary:
Overall, Kabetogama saw results consistent with recent surveys with our Walleye catch rate of 8.4 per net. We caught a lot of fish over 18 inches this year with many of these from the strong 2015 and 2016 year-classes that are now mostly in the 18-22" length range. We are still seeing a lot of fish from the strong 2020 year-class too. These fish ranged in length from 11.9 to 18.5 inches, but most were in the 13-16" length groups. There appears to be a good mix of bigger fish along with plenty of eater-sized fish in Kab creating the potential for some very good fishing.
Overall, Kabetogama Sauger numbers were pretty good in 2024 with a catch rate of 4.1 per net. 2020 also produced a good sauger year-class and these fish are now primarily in the 11- and 12-inch length groups.
Yellow perch numbers were above average with a catch rate of 12 per net in fall 2024. Many of these fish were from a strong 2020 year-class and were in the 8-, 9- and 10-inch length groups. Overall perch lengths ranged from 2.9 to 12.1 inches long. (per Vondra, feb. 2025)
Other interesting fish: Pike 3.15 per net, Cisco 0.4 per net, Smallmouth Bass 1.25 per net.
*5 pike over 36" caught in nets
Namakan:
(Minnesota DNR data) Namakan Lake is a class 2 lake located on the Minnesota-Ontario border within Voyageurs National Park (VNP). The total surface area is 24,066 acres of which 49% or 11,755 acres lie within Minnesota. Namakan Lake is typical of lakes within the Canadian Shield with soft, oligotrophic water and intermediate productivity. The mean depth is 45 feet, with a maximum-recorded depth of 150 feet. Only 20% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep (littoral zone), although its shoreline stretches for more than 146 miles.
Walleye (2024): 8.7 walleyes per net,
mean length 12.82"
(2023): 5.7 walleyes per net
(2022): 7.85 walleyes per net
Sauger (2024): 3.05 sauger per net,
mean length 10.01"
(2023): 2.10 sauger per net
(2022): 1.85 sauger per net
Yellow Perch (2024): 12 YEP per net
(2023) 8.9 YEP per net
Namakan Summary:
The 2024 overall gill net catch rate of Walleyes from Namakan was 8.7 per net. Namakan produced a strong year-class in 2021 and several average year-classes in recent years. Most of the 2021 fish were in the 10–12-inch length groups in fall 2024. However, there were above average numbers of 8-13" Walleyes and above average numbers of 15" walleyes in our 2024 survey.
Other interesting fish: Pike 1.85, Cisco 8.40, Smallmouth Bass 1.90
*large number of cisco attributed to possible water temperatures during gill netting (1 week later than Kabetogama netting), but shows a major food source on this basin
year-class strength index (YCI). Is a combination using catch rates, electrofishing, growth rates, catch rates, and age 1 growth measurements to estimate a spawning cycle's strength. I've been told that successful walleye lakes typically have 1 or 2 "high year classes every 5 years to be a good fishery".
Year-cIass strength index (YCI) shows Kab having strong year-classes in 2015, 2016, and 2020. Early indications from fall electrofishing suggest 2024 could be a good year-class. Good growth is the primary indicator along with overall catch rate and both were very good in 2024. We will have a better idea how they did over the winter after sampling next fall. Usually by age 1 the big year-classes will show up in big numbers in our gill nets.
I asked Vondra if the early ice out and high waters had an effect on the spawning walleyes in 2024? (his reply) "Yes, I would say spawning was done by the time we saw the high-water last year. It was a cool, wet spring and our summer seining (July) showed slow growth of Walleyes in the early part of the season as a result. It appears that they made up ground with the warm water temperatures that carried into September.
On Namakan, the YCI shows the 2021 year-class was strong and 2018, 2019, and 2022 as average.
You ask...what about Rainy Lake? Here is a quick statement as we discussed Rainy Lake-
Rainy overall Walleye catch rates were lower than 2023. In 2023 we were at 7.5 per net in 2023 and 5.38 per net in 2024. Much of the decrease is attributed to catching fewer larger walleyes (over 18”) which are protected from angler harvest and unlikely to change much in abundance from year to year. Rather, I think catchability of our sampling gear was lower, possibly due to the warm fall water temps. I suspect some of the larger fish were either staying deeper or not moving as much (hence less likely to get caught in a net) during our netting. Total catch of all species was lower in 2024 than 2023. Walleyes averaged 13.2 inches overall, and we again caught a good number of fish from the strong 2021 year-class. Most of the 2021 fish were in the 10–12-inch length groups and up to a max of 14.1 in fall 2024. The 2019 year-class is also an above average year-class and averaged 14 inches long in fall 2024 netting.
In general, I would agree that Rainy probably has more trophy-sized walleyes than Kabetogama. We do not sample walleyes greater than 25” very well in our gill nets because our largest gill net mesh size is only 2 inches, so my opinion is based more on what we see/hear from anglers and what we see in some of our other sampling gear.
References:
International Falls Area Fisheries Supervisor
392 Hwy 11 E
International Falls, MN
Phone: 218-598-8190
Fisheries, M. a. (2024, January 26). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved from LakeFinder: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html
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