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STRAWBERRY LAKE Strawberry - 03032300 Becker County   Click on the in the table above to retrieve that information for a particular lake. Click on the column header images for more information on that data.

Below is a copy of the latest lake survey report:

Lake Information Report

Name: Strawberry

Nearest Town: White Earth Primary County: Becker

Survey Date: 07/31/2006 Inventory Number: 03032300

Public Access Information

Ownership	Type	Description
DNR	Concrete	Middle of south shore of lake.

Lake Characteristics

Lake Area (acres): 1607* (1468.07) Littoral Area (acres): 563 Maximum Depth (ft): 48* Water Clarity (ft): 15

Dominant Bottom Substrate: N/A Abundance of Aquatic Plants: N/A Maximum Depth of Plant Growth (ft): N/A

*Note: The lake area in acres is from the Becker County Zoning Ordinance (Data from the DNR ranged from 1468 to 1522 acres. Becker County has recently completed a much more accurate survey using aerial photos, GPS, and modern surveying software. Isn't it wonderful that the most current and accurate data on a Minnesota lake is from the county tax assessors and zoning office???? )

Fish Sampled for the 2006 Survey Year

		Number of fish per net
Species	Gear Used	Caught	Normal Range	Average Fish Weight (lbs)	Normal Range (lbs)
Black Bullhead	Trap net	0.29	0.3 - 2.6	0.50	0.5 - 0.9
	Gill net	14.80	0.6 - 6.8	0.54	0.5 - 1.0
Black Crappie	Gill net	1.13	0.4 - 2.7	0.65	0.3 - 0.6
Bluegill	Trap net	32.21	4.4 - 49.0	0.17	0.1 - 0.2
	Gill net	5.73	N/A	0.11	N/A
Brown Bullhead	Trap net	0.57	0.3 - 1.6	0.90	0.7 - 1.1
	Gill net	0.27	0.3 - 1.8	0.88	0.7 - 1.2
Green Sunfish	Trap net	0.07	0.2 - 1.0	0.06	0.1 - 0.2
	Gill net	0.07	0.1 - 0.4	0.05	N/A
Hybrid Sunfish	Trap net	15.21	N/A	0.19	N/A
	Gill net	3.13	N/A	0.15	N/A
Largemouth Bass	Trap net	0.79	0.3 - 1.3	0.76	0.2 - 0.8
	Gill net	2.73	0.3 - 1.4	0.81	0.5 - 1.2
Northern Pike	Trap net	1.43	N/A	1.31	N/A
	Gill net	10.73	2.8 - 9.0	1.21	1.6 - 2.8
Pumpkinseed	Trap net	3.07	1.8 - 7.8	0.12	0.1 - 0.3
	Gill net	7.13	N/A	0.10	N/A
Rock Bass	Trap net	3.21	0.5 - 2.5	0.24	0.3 - 0.5
	Gill net	16.67	0.6 - 3.9	0.37	0.3 - 0.5
Smallmouth Bass	Trap net	0.57	0.1 - 0.9	0.18	0.2 - 0.5
	Gill net	2.60	0.1 - 0.9	1.59	0.9 - 2.0
Tullibee (cisco)	Gill net	0.07	0.8 - 6.2	2.63	0.6 - 1.4
Walleye	Trap net	0.14	0.2 - 0.8	0.38	1.0 - 2.7
	Gill net	14.53	3.3 - 8.8	1.67	1.2 - 2.1
White Sucker	Trap net	0.36	0.2 - 1.1	2.42	1.8 - 3.0
	Gill net	4.00	0.9 - 4.0	2.44	1.6 - 2.4
Yellow Bullhead	Trap net	0.71	1.2 - 5.2	0.88	0.6 - 0.9
	Gill net	7.60	1.2 - 10.9	0.75	0.6 - 0.9
Yellow Perch	Gill net	1.60	7.0 - 46.3	0.09	0.1 - 0.2
Normal Ranges represent typical catches for lakes with similar physical and chemical characteristics.

Length of Selected Species Sampled for the 2006 Survey Year

	Number of fish caught in each category (inches)
Species	0-5	6-8	9-11	12-14	15-19	20-24	25-29	>29	Total
black bullhead	0	12	213	1	0	0	0	0	226
black crappie	0	2	13	2	0	0	0	0	17
bluegill	292	238	0	0	0	0	0	0	537
brown bullhead	0	1	3	8	0	0	0	0	12
green sunfish	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
hybrid sunfish	139	116	0	0	0	0	0	0	260
largemouth bass	1	5	32	13	1	0	0	0	52
northern pike	0	0	13	46	66	43	11	1	181
pumpkinseed	131	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	150
rock bass	54	220	21	0	0	0	0	0	295
smallmouth bass	3	6	6	17	15	0	0	0	47
tullibee (cisco)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
walleye	0	3	15	17	160	21	4	0	220
white sucker	0	0	0	3	55	7	0	0	65
yellow bullhead	0	3	94	27	0	0	0	0	124
yellow perch	8	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	24

Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Five Years

Year	Species	Age	Number
2006	Walleye	Fingerling	10,837
2004	Walleye	Fingerling	23,878
2002	Walleye	Fingerling	4,040

Status of the Fishery (as of 07/31/2006)

Strawberry Lake has had a reputation as a good fishing lake at certain times of the year. Water quality has been relatively good and this is demonstrated by the presence of a tullibee population, a cold-water fish species requiring well-oxygenated water in the cooler deeper layers in the heat of the summer. It is also one of the few lakes in the area with a smallmouth bass population. As with most area lakes, Strawberry Lake is undergoing increasing development pressure.

The northern pike gill net catch rate in 2006 was 10.7 per set. This is a high number of fish, but they were primarily young with an average size of only 17.7 inches or 1.3 pounds. The walleye gill net catch rate in 2006 was 14.5 per gill net, which is higher than what is typically expected for a lake of this ecological type. However, Strawberry Lake has a history of above average walleye gill net catches with a long-term average of 14.6 per set. The walleyes sampled in 2006 had an average length and weight of 17 inches and 1.7 pounds. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are both present in relatively good numbers in Strawberry Lake.

Trap net catches of panfish in Strawberry Lake show a good bluegill population. However, the population shows signs of heavy fishing pressure. Bluegill growth rates were normal but very few fish over eight inches were present, suggesting anglers are harvesting them as soon as they reach a desirable size. Black crappies do not appear nearly as abundant but their size is impressive. The average length of the crappies sampled in 2006 was 10.4 inches.

Other species in Strawberry Lake include: black bullhead, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumkinseed, rock bass, tullibee, white sucker, yellow perch, and yellow bullhead. The ratio of black to yellow bullheads can be an indicator of water quality, with a higher yellow to black ratio indicating better water quality. Yellow bullhead catch rates were unchanged in 2006 and black bullhead catch rates were definitely higher. Hopefully, this was just a normal fluctuation and not an early warning sign of declining water quality. Every effort should be made by lakeshore residents to protect water quality and minimize nutrient input to the lake by using good lakeshore management practices. These include: (1) leaving or establishing buffer strips of natural vegetation along the shores, (2) leaving aquatic vegetation stands intact, especially bulrush and cattail beds, (3) not fertilizing lawns or using phosphorus free fertilizers, (4) ensuring compliance of septic systems, (5) stabilizing eroding banks, and (6) utilizing practices illustrated in the DNR document "Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality" when landscaping shoreline property. Removal of emergent aquatic vegetation, particularly bulrushes, should be avoided at all costs. Bulrushes are an extremely important feature of the lake ecosystem, both from a water quality and fish habitat standpoint.?

This is the previous report from 2001:

Fish Sampled up to the 2001 Survey Year

		Number of fish per net
Species	Gear Used	Caught	Normal Range	Average Fish Weight (lbs)	Normal Range (lbs)
Black Bullhead	Gill net	0.8	0.6 - 6.8	0.67	0.5 - 1.0
	Trap net	0.8	0.3 - 2.6	0.67	0.5 - 0.9
Black Crappie	Gill net	1.1	0.4 - 2.7	0.94	0.3 - 0.6
	Trap net	0.4	0.4 - 2.3	0.91	0.3 - 0.6
Bluegill	Gill net	3.4	N/A - N/A	0.18	N/A - N/A
	Trap net	26.6	4.4 - 49.0	0.10	0.1 - 0.2
Brown Bullhead	Gill net	2.5	0.3 - 1.8	0.79	0.7 - 1.2
	Trap net	4.4	0.3 - 1.6	0.79	0.7 - 1.1
Hybrid Sunfish	Gill net	0.3	N/A - N/A	0.07	N/A - N/A
	Trap net	7.9	N/A - N/A	0.17	N/A - N/A
Largemouth Bass	Gill net	1.9	0.3 - 1.4	0.69	0.5 - 1.2
	Trap net	3.9	0.3 - 1.3	0.40	0.2 - 0.8
Northern Pike	Gill net	11.3	2.8 - 9.0	1.27	1.6 - 2.8
	Trap net	0.9	N/A - N/A	1.33	N/A - N/A
Pumpkinseed Sunfish	Gill net	3.8	N/A - N/A	0.16	N/A - N/A
	Trap net	1.6	1.8 - 7.8	0.16	0.1 - 0.3
Rock Bass	Gill net	42.9	0.6 - 3.9	0.36	0.3 - 0.5
	Trap net	6.1	0.5 - 2.5	0.27	0.3 - 0.5
Smallmouth Bass	Gill net	2.8	0.1 - 0.9	1.42	0.9 - 2.0
	Trap net	0.5	0.1 - 0.9	0.23	0.2 - 0.5
Tullibee (Cisco)	Gill net	0.3	0.8 - 6.2	2.77	0.6 - 1.4
Walleye	Gill net	21.4	3.3 - 8.8	1.71	1.2 - 2.1
	Trap net	0.5	0.2 - 0.8	1.52	1.0 - 2.7
White Sucker	Gill net	1.9	0.9 - 4.0	2.53	1.6 - 2.4
	Trap net	0.2	0.2 - 1.1	2.84	1.8 - 3.0
Yellow Bullhead	Gill net	7.8	1.2 - 10.9	0.68	0.6 - 0.9
	Trap net	2.0	1.2 - 5.2	0.70	0.6 - 0.9
Yellow Perch	Gill net	0.9	7.0 - 46.3	0.13	0.1 - 0.2
	Trap net	0.4	0.6 - 3.5	0.14	0.1 - 0.2
Normal Ranges represent typical catches for lakes with similar physical and chemical characteristics.

Length of Selected Species Sampled for All Gear for the 2001 Survey Year

	Number of fish caught in each category (inches)
Species	0-5	6-8	9-11	12-14	15-19	20-24	25-29	>29	Total
Black Bullhead	0	1	16	0	0	0	0	0	17
Black Crappie	0	1	9	5	0	0	0	0	15
Bluegill	222	67	0	0	0	0	0	0	289
Brown Bullhead	0	0	45	37	0	0	0	0	82
Hybrid Sunfish	75	38	0	0	0	0	0	0	113
Largemouth Bass	1	41	21	7	0	0	0	0	70
Northern Pike	0	0	0	8	67	24	3	1	103
Pumpkinseed Sunfish	26	27	0	0	0	0	0	0	53
Rock Bass	43	360	25	0	0	0	0	0	428
Smallmouth Bass	1	6	3	13	6	0	0	0	29
Tullibee (Cisco)	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Walleye	0	1	4	27	130	13	3	0	178
Yellow Bullhead	0	5	79	6	0	0	0	0	90
Yellow Perch	3	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	12

Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Five Years

Year	Species	Age	Number
1996	Walleye	Fingerling	14,690
1998	Walleye	Fingerling	3,385
2000	Walleye	Fingerling	6,274

Status of the Fishery (as of 07/23/2001)

Strawberry Lake is a 1522-acre lake in north-central Becker County. It has had a reputation as a good fishing lake depending on time of the year. Water quality is relatively good and this is demonstrated by the presence of a tullibee population, a cold-water fish species. It is also one of the few lakes in the area with a smallmouth bass population. As with most area lakes, Strawberry Lake is undergoing increasing development pressure.

The northern pike gill net (GN) catch rate in 2001 was 11.2 per set. This represents an abundant northern pike population, but it consisted primarily of young fish with an overall average length of only 18.5 inches or 1.3 pounds. Only four northern pike over 25 inches were sampled. The walleye gill net catch rate in 2001 was 21.4 per GN, which is well above what is typically expected for a lake of this ecological type. However, Strawberry Lake has a history of above average walleye gill net catches with a long-term average of 14.6 per set. The walleyes sampled in 2001 had an average length and weight of 17 inches and 1.7 pounds. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are both present in Strawberry Lake.

Trap net catches of panfish in Strawberry Lake show a good bluegill population. However, the population shows signs of heavy fishing pressure. Bluegill growth rates were normal but very few fish over seven inches were present, suggesting anglers are harvesting them as soon as they reach a desirable size. Black crappies do not appear nearly as abundant but their size is impressive. The average length of the crappies sampled in 2001 was 11.4 inches.

Other species in Strawberry Lake include: black bullhead, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, pumkinseed, rock bass, tullibee, white sucker, yellow perch, and yellow bullhead. The ratio of black to yellow bullheads can be an indicator of water quality, with a higher yellow to black ratio indicating better water quality. Yellow bullhead catch rates were lower in 2001 and black bullhead catch rates were higher. Hopefully, this was just a normal fluctuation and not an early warning sign of declining water quality. Every effort should be made by lakeshore residents to protect water quality and minimize nutrient input to the lake by using good lakeshore management practices. These include: (1) leaving or establishing buffer strips of natural vegetation along the shores, (2) leaving aquatic vegetation stands intact, especially bulrush and cattail beds, (3) not fertilizing lawns or using phosphorus free fertilizers, (4) ensuring compliance of septic systems, (5) stabilizing eroding banks, and (6) utilizing practices illustrated in the DNR document "Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality" when landscaping shoreline property. Removal of emergent aquatic vegetation, particularly bulrushes, should be avoided at all costs. Bulrushes are an extremely important feature of the lake ecosystem, both from a water quality and fish habitat standpoint.

This is the previous report from 1996:

Lake Information Report

Name: STRAWBERRY

Fish Sampled up to the 1996 Survey Year

		Number of fish per net
Species	Gear Used	Caught	Normal Range	Average Fish Weight (lbs)	Normal Range (lbs)
Black Bullhead	Gill net	4.3	0.6 - 6.8	ND	0.5 - 1.0
	Trap net	0.4	0.3 - 2.6	ND	0.5 - 0.9
Black Crappie	Trap net	trace	0.4 - 2.3	0.90	0.3 - 0.6
Bluegill	Gill net	3.3	N/A - N/A	0.28	N/A - N/A
	Trap net	7.5	4.4 - 49.0	0.12	0.1 - 0.2
Brown Bullhead	Gill net	0.3	0.3 - 1.8	ND	0.7 - 1.2
	Trap net	1.0	0.3 - 1.6	ND	0.7 - 1.1
Green Sunfish	Trap net	trace	0.2 - 1.0	ND	0.1 - 0.2
Hybrid Sunfish	Gill net	0.2	N/A - N/A	ND	N/A - N/A
	Trap net	7.0	N/A - N/A	ND	N/A - N/A
Largemouth Bass	Gill net	0.2	0.3 - 1.4	1.63	0.5 - 1.2
	Trap net	3.8	0.3 - 1.3	0.19	0.2 - 0.8
Northern Pike	Gill net	8.2	2.8 - 9.0	1.47	1.6 - 2.8
	Trap net	0.4	N/A - N/A	1.78	N/A - N/A
Pumpkinseed Sunfish	Gill net	2.2	N/A - N/A	ND	N/A - N/A
	Trap net	0.8	1.8 - 7.8	ND	0.1 - 0.3
Rock Bass	Gill net	13.7	0.6 - 3.9	ND	0.3 - 0.5
	Trap net	11.9	0.5 - 2.5	ND	0.3 - 0.5
Smallmouth Bass	Gill net	1.8	0.1 - 0.9	1.23	0.9 - 2.0
	Trap net	2.4	0.1 - 0.9	0.15	0.2 - 0.5
Tullibee (Cisco)	Gill net	0.5	0.8 - 6.2	ND	0.6 - 1.4
Walleye	Gill net	16.0	3.3 - 8.8	2.23	1.2 - 2.1
	Trap net	0.5	0.2 - 0.8	3.26	1.0 - 2.7
White Sucker	Gill net	9.8	0.9 - 4.0	ND	1.6 - 2.4
	Trap net	0.9	0.2 - 1.1	ND	1.8 - 3.0
Yellow Bullhead	Gill net	3.0	1.2 - 10.9	ND	0.6 - 0.9
	Trap net	2.7	1.2 - 5.2	ND	0.6 - 0.9
Yellow Perch	Gill net	10.5	7.0 - 46.3	0.12	0.1 - 0.2
	Trap net	1.4	0.6 - 3.5	0.10	0.1 - 0.2

Length of Selected Species Sampled for All Gear for the 1996 Survey Year

	Number of fish caught in each category (inches)
Species	0-5	6-8	9-11	12-14	15-19	20-24	25-29	>29	Total
Black Bullhead	0	4	27	0	0	0	0	0	31
Black Crappie	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Bluegill	59	50	1	0	0	0	0	0	110
Brown Bullhead	0	5	6	3	0	0	0	0	14
Green Sunfish	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Hybrid Sunfish	59	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	85
Largemouth Bass	7	37	0	1	1	0	0	0	46
Northern Pike	0	0	0	2	32	18	1	1	54
Pumpkinseed Sunfish	19	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	23
Rock Bass	75	112	14	0	0	0	0	0	201
Smallmouth Bass	16	13	5	2	4	0	0	0	40
Tullibee (Cisco)	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	3
Walleye	0	0	11	6	60	21	4	0	102
Yellow Bullhead	0	1	35	14	0	0	0	0	50
Yellow Perch	33	46	1	0	0	0	0	0	80

Status of the Fishery (as of 07/22/1996)

Strawberry Lake is known as a good all-around fishing lake with particularly good walleye angling at times. It is one of few area lakes with a smallmouth bass population. Some large walleyes and northern pike are also produced. Lakes with good oxygen in the lower, cooler portions of their thermoclines have the best potential to produce large pike. Strawberry Lake, as evidenced by its tullibee population, is such a lake. Even though conditions are excellent for large northern pike in Strawberry Lake and growth rates are good, pike larger than 30 inches (about eight pounds) are rare. It is likely that anglers remove most of the lake's pike before they attain a large size. No DNR creel surveys have been done on the lake, but it is believed that fishing pressure is relatively heavy. Catch and release fishing for larger pike (those longer than 24 inches) is not only a good idea, it is necessary if anglers desire to catch big pike like back in "the old days."

Historically, yellow perch net catches have remained within the "normal" range in Strawberry Lake as they are at present. Yellow perch are the primary forage for northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and walleye as well as a competitor or predator of young bluegill. Consequently, they are important to the fish community and will be monitored along with other gamefish and panfish. Drastic reductions in yellow perch in Strawberry Lake may signal problems for gamefish.

The good news is that there are still some large fish remaining in Strawberry Lake. Also, the walleye population is relatively stable and well above the normal range in abundance for similar lakes. The average sampled walleye weighed 2.2 pounds and was 18.1 inches long. Although there is some natural reproduction of walleye in Strawberry Lake, the population appears to be maintained by biennial fingerling stocking in recent years. Anglers can help to sustain fish populations by releasing medium to large fish, which usually don't taste as good as the smaller ones anyway.

Other ways that anglers and lakeshore owners can help to maintain fish populations, water quality, and property values is by conserving and protecting natural fish habitat. Bulrushes and cattails are particularly valuable for fish spawning, feeding, and rearing as well as for erosion protection and nutrient uptake. Shoreline buffer zones of unmowed, unfertilized natural vegetation help to slow erosion and sedimentation. Strawberry Lake's fish populations are sustainable with care and stewardship from its watershed inhabitants and users. Participation in the Pollution Control Agency's Citizen Lake Monitoring Program is valuable for monitoring trends in water quality. Lakeshore residents, whether seasonal or permanent, are urged to get involved. In addition, guides and books are available for riparian owners who desire to landscape their shorelines in a manner that will help sustain water quality. One book that will be available in autumn of 1997 is entitled "Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality."

For Additional Information

Area Fisheries Supervisor: 14583 CTY HWY 19 DETROIT LAKES, MN 56501 (218) 847-1579

Lake maps can be obtained from: Minnesota Bookstore 117 University Ave St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 297-3000 or (800) 657-3757 To order, use B219 for the map-id.

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