Silver Lake (Sibley County)
Sibley County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 72001300
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Silver Lake (Sibley County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2021 (642,000 fish).
- Silver Lake (Sibley County) has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2016-2021): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,034,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 8 ft, mean depth 5 ft; surface area 652 acres, 642 littoral acres, 6.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, common carp, green sunfish, walleye, white crappie.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Sibley County, nearest town Arlington; DNR lake number (DOW) 72001300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 642,000 | 5.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 642,000 | 7.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 750,000 | 7.3 |
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | South side of lake, off County Highway 19. - A state owned access with a concrete plank ramp is located on the south side of the lake off of county road 19 |
DNR fish survey, 2019
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | 3/8-in trap nets | 1517.00 | 1,517 | 0.00 |
| Common carp | 3/8-in trap nets | 612.00 | 612 | 0.01 |
| Black bullhead | Single-frame trap nets | 99.33 | 298 | 0.08 |
| Common carp | Single-frame trap nets | 56.67 | 170 | 0.10 |
| Black crappie | Single-frame trap nets | 2.67 | 8 | 0.13 |
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.
A 2018-2019 winter oxygen test indicated potential for winterkill at Silver Lake - Arlington, and dead fish (100's to 1,000's of Common Carp, 6 Black Crappie, and 6 Walleye) were verified. The lake was too turbid to observe dead fish on the bottom. Trap nets were set on April 8, 2019, to document fish species presence and fish abundances at Silver Lake, following the winterkill. Trap net catches were as follows: Trap nets caught high numbers (1,815) of Black Bullhead (3.4 to 13.3 inches long), low numbers (8) of Black Crappie (3.4 to 9.4 inches long - only 2 over 5" in length), and high numbers (782) of Common Carp (4.8 to 18.5 inches long). Walleye were not sampled. Net catches indicated a lake dominated by Black Bullhead and Common Carp. The 2019 winterkill was likely not severe. Silver Lake is primarily managed for Walleye, as a boom and bust type fishery. Netting likely indicated that there was currently little fishing opportunity available at Silver Lake, except for a small number of 9 inch Black Crappie and a few larger Bullhead, although one day netting assessment results can miss fish species and underestimate fish abundances. Future Walleye stocking will resume on an every other year basis or following winterkill.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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