Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 15, 2016
Species recorded at Ham Lake
7 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Ham Lake
No stocking record for Ham Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Ham Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 2016 caught 8.33 northern pike per gill net at Ham Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ham Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-08-15 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2016-08-15 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 27.11 | 2–7 in 2016-08-15 | 0.1 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 17.57 | 10–15 in 2004-08-09 | 0.6 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 16.62 | 8–15 in 1999-08-16 | 0.35 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 15.46 | 8–16 in 2016-08-15 | 1.16 lb |
| Common Carp | 12.50 | 0.17 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 5.82 | 4–9 in 2016-08-15 | 0.18 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Black Bullhead
Brown Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
From the 2016-08-15 survey
Ham Lake is a 168 acre, class 38 lake located in northern Anoka County, primarily managed for Largemouth Bass with Northern Pike as a secondary management species. There is a public access located in the city park on the south side of the lake, and a 2004 survey found angling pressure to be relatively high compared to…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ham Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HamFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — HamPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Ham Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 2016 caught 8.33 northern pike per gill net at Ham Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 7 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Ham Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Ham Lake is dated August 15, 2016. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Ham Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Ham Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Ham Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ham Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Ham Lake
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