Silver Lake (Clay County)
Clay County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 14010000
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Silver Lake (Clay County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (100,000 fish).
- Silver Lake (Clay County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 900,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 39 ft; surface area 115 acres, 36 littoral acres, 1.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Clay County, nearest town Hawley; DNR lake number (DOW) 14010000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/14/1983 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | East shore off Clay Co. 12. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 58.17 | 349 | 0.06 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.00 | 48 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.17 | 37 | 3.66 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.17 | 25 | 3.01 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 4.20 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 2.22 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 57.33 | 516 | 0.11 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.06 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.30 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.04 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 5.40 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 1.49 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 5.82 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 3.55 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Silver Lake is a 109-acre lake located in Clay County three miles south of Hawley, MN. Silver Lake is within the Buffalo River Watershed District. The maximum depth is 39 feet, and it is the only natural lake in Clay County without a history of winterkill. The inlet enters the east shore and flows through an adjacent Aquatic Management Area before reaching Silver Lake. The outlet is on the northeast shore and flows less than one-half mile northwest to the Buffalo River. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Silver Lake in June 2024 to assess the fish populations. Traditionally, Silver Lake has had a low abundance of Northern Pike, but numbers have increased recently with the Northern Pike population now having moderate numbers. The size of the pike tend to be good with 35% of the pike sampled in 2024 being over 26 inches. Pike up to 33 inches were measured. Walleye numbers were about average for the lake and quality-sized fish were available for anglers to catch. About 79% of the Walleye captured in 2024 were over 15 inches and 63% were over 20 inches. The average length of Walleyes sampled was 20 inches. Bluegill were found to be abundant at the lake, especially compared to past surveys, and there was a decent number of fish over eight inches for anglers to catch. The longest Bluegill measured was ten inches. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass were captured in low numbers in the nets, which is often the case with this sampling gear. Black Crappie up to nine inches were measured and Largemouth Bass up to 18.3 inches were captured. Other fish species sampled were Common Carp, Golden Shiner, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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