Fishing Twin Lake

Twin Lake offers a diverse warmwater fishery that's undergone significant changes since splake stocking ended in 1999. The 103-acre lake features two distinct basins - a shallow eastern basin and a deep western basin reaching 75 feet. Bluegills dominate the catch at 78% by number but grow poorly at 2.1 inches below state average, with only 4% reaching 6+ inches. The 18-inch minimum size regulation on largemouth bass creates a catch-and-release fishery since no bass in the 2009 survey reached legal size, though growth has improved from 1.8 inches below average in 1999 to 0.8 inches below in 2009. Northern pike arrived naturally from nearby Dollarville Flooding and now comprise 17% of the fish biomass, with 20% exceeding legal size and averaging 21 inches. Two northern muskellunge of 28 and 35 inches were documented for the first time, also migrants from Dollarville Flooding. Yellow perch made a remarkable comeback from just 5 fish in 1999 to 97 in 2009, with 22% reaching 7+ inches. The lake's oxygen profile has improved since zebra mussels arrived in 2005 - good oxygen now extends to 25 feet compared to just 12 feet in 2002, though temperatures drop to 46°F at that depth. The substrate consists of sand, marl, and organic matter with Scirpus, Potomogeton, and Chara vegetation providing structure. Competition for aquatic invertebrates keeps most panfish species growing well below average, but the addition of pike and muskellunge should help control rough fish populations and potentially improve panfish growth through predation pressure. White suckers declined dramatically from 207 fish in 1999 to just 34 in 2009, likely due to predation from the new pike and muskie populations.