Description
Echo Lake is a medium-sized, shallow lake located northeast of Orr, Minnesota in the Superior National Forest. The watershed is almost entirely forest and wetland. Lakeshore development is minimal, and includes two resorts and a U.S. Forest Service Campground. The lake has a large fetch, and is exposed to winds from an easterly or westerly direction.
Despite its shallow depth, tannin-stained water from the many bogs and wetlands in the watershed limits aquatic plant growth to shallow depths in Echo. However, aquatic plants, primarily Wild Rice and Wild Celery are abundant near-shore and in shallow bays.
Echo maintains a high quality self-sustaining Walleye and Northern Pike fishery. Walleye populations have exceeded the expected range for this lake in nearly every investigation conducted in the past forty years. Similar to other lakes in the Canadian Shield ecoregion, warm-water Centrarchids are becoming increasingly abundant, and Echo supports a high-quality Crappie fishery. Sustained low catches of Yellow Perch, an important cool-water forage species may impact production of Walleye and Northern Pike over the long-term.
Echo Lake represents shallow water Canadian Shield lakes in Northeastern Minnesota.
Location
Data
County: St. Louis
Ecoregion: Northern Lakes and Forests (Canadian Shield)
Surface Area: 1142 acres
Littoral Area: 1142 acres
Shoreline Length: 11 miles
Maximum Depth: 10 feet
Classification: Tier 2
DNR Lake No.: 69061500
MPCA report
Depth
