Farm Island Lake is a large and popular lake located about seven miles south of Aitkin. There are two public accesses with concrete log ramps, one in the northeast and one in the southwest portion of the lake. Sand is the primary substrate around much of the lake, but scattered muck, silt, gravel, and rubble areas create diverse aquatic habitats. Primary management is for Walleye, with Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Largemouth Bass as secondary species.

Farm Island Lake has a history of Walleye stocking dating back to 1922. The Walleye catch rate was just slightly higher than in the previous survey and met the current management goal of 6-8 per gill net. Fish ranged from 7.2 to 24.6 inches and averaged 14 inches and 1 pound.

Northern Pike abundance appears to be at its highest level observed since we began assessing the population in 1946. In 2023, the gill net catch rate was above the normal level for similar lake types and above management goals for the lake. As is typical for this lake, size structure was poor with a mean of 19.5 inches and 1.4 pounds. Only 4 of the 239 fish sample were over 26 inches, with a maximum size of 29.6 inches.

Black Crappie catches have been fairly stable, and were once again near median for this type of lake. Bluegill catches were low for Farm Island Lake, yet were within the normal range for similar lakes. This lower density appears to have resulted in excellent growth rates, with fish now reaching 6 inches in 4 years

Farm Island is a "go to" lake for Largemouth Bass, which have had a very stable population. Farm Island is known to have good bass fishing with some quality-sized fish available for anglers. In addition to Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass have been observed in Farm Island in each survey since 2010. Adults have shown a strong increase in abundance and are now high relative to other similar lakes. It will be interesting to see how the Smallmouth Bass fishery evolves in Farm Island Lake as they provide anglers with another great fishing opportunity with their sporty nature.

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