Get out and enjoy an abundant Minnesota resource - our lakes

Whether you’re a full-time lake country resident or a seasonal visitor, I encourage you to enjoy our beautiful lakes and rivers at any time of day, no matter what the season and no matter what the weather.

Take in scenic views from a boat on the water or a restaurant seat overlooking a bay. Stay at an area resort or a friend’s cabin to experience fun on the water.

As part of an informal group that fishes together on different lakes throughout summer, I’ve experienced so many area lakes I’d never ventured to before. We’ve fished in cold and windy weather. In the rain. In the hot sun. On a perfect summer day. It’s always a different experience on a different lake.

It’s quiet and calm in the early morning, with only the sounds of loons and other birds. Activity starts to pick up by mid-morning with personal watercraft and boats pulling tubes, with sounds of squealing laughter. It’s always fascinating to see and experience.

Keep this in mind when reading our 18th edition of Love of the Lakes. You’ll find a story about volunteers who stepped forward to keep Big Island and two smaller islands on Upper Whitefish Lake open to the public. Visit these islands if you get the chance.

If you’re on Horseshoe Lake south of Crosslake, read about the themed bars around the lake where camaraderie abounds. Show up at one and introduce yourself.

Do you have young children? Discover the longstanding Children’s Fishing Contest held every Tuesday in summer on Birch Lake in Hackensack. Take your kids there one week.

If you’re boating on the Gull Chain of Lakes, meander through Lake Margaret and find a former resort that was restored for family and friends to enjoy, all while preserving the resort’s rich history.

We hope you have as much fun reading these stories as we had writing them.

NANCY VOGT | EDITOR

“It looked like you could step off our dock into the clouds. It’s just amazing. I’ve lived on this lake for a lot of years and I never quite saw anything like this,” Carol Lovro said of Norway Lake in Pine River on April 10, 2024.

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CROSSLAKE, MANHATTAN BEACH, FIFTY LAKES, JENKINS, PINE RIVER IN NORTHERN CROW WING COUNTY

Area: 7,714.19 acres

Shore length: 32.2 miles miles

Deepest point: 138 feet

Water quality: Suitable for swimming and wading, with good clarity and low algae levels throughout the open water season.

Public access to Whitefish:

3 miles North and East of Jenkins on Co Rd 15, then 0.75 mile East on Jenkins Twp Rd. Facilities: 1 concrete ramp, 25 vehicle/trailer parking spaces, 1 dock, 1 toilet. (Other sites on the individual lakes)

Invasive species: Zebra mussels

Fish to catch: Black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, burbot, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bowfin (dogfish), greater redhorse, redhorse, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, smallmouth buffalo, white sucker.

Interesting fact: The Whitefish Chain of Lakes was officially named by Congress in the 1800s; however, the name is a direct translation of the traditional Native American name “Kadikumagokag,” or “Lake where there are many whitefish.” The name was first recorded by Joseph Nicollet, French astronomer and American immigrant.

Source: Lake-Link; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources LakeFinder