Silver Lake (Wright County)
Wright County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86014000
Silver Lake (Wright County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Silver Lake (Wright County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 42 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 83 acres, 30 littoral acres, 1.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Wright County, nearest town Silver Creek (Wright); DNR lake number (DOW) 86014000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/5/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | PRI | - Hasty/ Silver Creek Sportsmen Club owns and maintains fee/pay access located on the southeast corner of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2012
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 37.63 | 41 | 0.90 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 27.78 | 250 | 0.31 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 20.56 | 185 | 0.22 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 8.56 | 77 | 0.32 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard trap nets | 3.67 | 33 | 6.10 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.56 | 23 | 0.55 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 3.87 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 1.63 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.19 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 10.50 | 42 | 0.17 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 8.00 | 32 | 0.37 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 14 | 4.56 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 8 | 0.84 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 6 | 1.75 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 5 | 0.23 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 5 | 0.32 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 2 | 1.27 |
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 located in northern Wright County, about four miles north of Maple Lake. It has a surface area of 78 acres and a maximum depth of 42 feet. A local sporting club owns and maintains an access on the south east side of the lake. The access is open to the public for a small fee. Silver Creek flows through the lake and plays a large role in determining the water quality and fish community of the lake. The creek also allows for movement of fish to and from other lakes in the watershed, particularly when water levels are high. A survey was conducted in 2012 to assess fish populations and included spring electrofishing and summer netting (trap nets, gill nets, and seines). Catch rates were compared to lakes with similar characteristics as a way to evaluate the fish populations of Silver Lake. Catch rates were also compared to past surveys on Silver Lake (most recently in 2002), to examine changes over time. The survey also included water chemistry analysis, watershed mapping, and an aquatic plant survey. The catch rate of northern pike was much lower than the previous survey, but the average size was large (4.6 pounds) and 57 percent of northern pike sampled were 24 inches or larger. The lower northern pike numbers currently found in Silver Lake represent favorable conditions for obtaining quality size. The catch rate of yellow perch was also lower than in the previous survey, but is still high when compared to the expected range found in similar lakes. Yellow perch are an important source of forage for northern pike. Walleye have not been stocked at Silver Lake since 1986, and although the catch decreased from the previous survey in 2002, the population appears stable. Spawning may occur in Silver Creek and the creek may also provide for migration of walleye between lakes in the watershed. Most of the walleye were 12-16 inches long and from the 2009 or 2010 year classes. Largemouth bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing in the spring and the catch rate was typical of other area lakes. Most largemouth bass were between 8 and 16 inches in length with the largest measuring nearly 18 inches. Bluegill and black crappie numbers were lower than the previous survey, but still within the range expected for Silver Lake. Average weight however, for both bluegill and crappie, has increased and growth rates were fast. Thirty-two percent of bluegill sampled were larger than seven inches and seventy-three percent of the black crappie were larger than eight inches. Several other species were sampled in typical abundance during the 2012 survey, including…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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