South Silver Lake
Martin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 46002000
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at South Silver Lake since 2016, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (530 fish).
- South Silver Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (8), northern pike (1), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 163,134 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 22 ft, mean depth 14 ft; surface area 252 acres, 142 littoral acres, 4.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Martin County, nearest town Fairmont; DNR lake number (DOW) 46002000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/23/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 530 | 331.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 210 | 105.0 |
| 2023 | Northern Pike | fingerlings | 504 | 72.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 13,294 | 289.0 |
| 2023 | Yellow Perch | adults | 1,680 | 240.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 270 | 154.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,806 | 345.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,403 | 238.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 688 | 86.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 141,933 | 1.3 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | STATE-OWNED BOAT ACCESS LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SHORE. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 16.89 | 152 | 0.28 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 24 | 0.26 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.64 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.94 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 5.25 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.61 |
| White crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.22 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.64 |
| Freshwater drum | Standard gill nets | 11.00 | 33 | 0.48 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 15 | 0.26 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 15 | 0.43 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 12 | 0.12 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard gill nets | 3.67 | 11 | 1.73 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 3 | 1.52 |
| White crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 2 | 0.35 |
| Common carp | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 2 | 4.38 |
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.
South Silver Lake is a 245-acre, deep lake, located in Martin County. The maximum depth is 22 feet, making it one of the deeper lakes in the Windom management area. A survey was conducted the week of August 8, 2022 to monitor the fish population using 3 gill nets and 9 trap nets. Fourteen species of fish were caught during the survey. Common Carp (27.4%), Black Crappie (24.4%), Freshwater Drum (15.7%), Black Bullhead (9.7%), and Bigmouth Buffalo (9.3%) were most abundant by percent of total biomass (pounds). All other species (Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, White Bass, White Crappie, Yellow Bullhead, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, and Channel Catfish) each made up 3% or less of the total biomass. South Silver Lake is managed primarily for Walleye and secondarily for Yellow Perch. Walleye and Yellow Perch will continue to be actively stocked and managed. Additionally, Black Crappie are a species of interest and will be closely monitored as they are popular among local anglers. Two Walleye were caught in gill nets and 6 Walleye were caught in trap nets. The gill net catch rate was 0.67 per gill net, less than the lower expected range for class 24 lakes (expected range is 1.2 to 6.3 per gill net) and less than the long term average of 2.4 per gill net. Lengths of Walleye ranged from just under 10 inches to 16 inches and averaged nearly 13 inches. Historical Walleye stocking on South Silver shows that fingerlings, yearlings, and adults work best to maintain a fishable population. While our management goal was not met (catch rate of 2.5 per gill net was not attained), we are committed to stocking Walleye in South Silver and any surplus production may be stocked in South Silver to help boost the population. While South Silver is not necessarily considered a top destination in the area for Walleye, we do manage it so that anglers have the opportunity at times for Walleye. Northern Pike should also be considered as a top predator to help thin out natural reproduction of Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, and Bigmouth Buffalo. One Northern Pike, 28 inches, was sampled. Northern Pike have historically occurred at low abundances in South Silver Lake. Occasional stocking of advanced fingerling fish now produced at Warren Lake near Windom may help add an important predator to the lake. Yellow Perch relative abundance has fluctuated widely since sampling began in 1957. Recently, since 2010, catch rates have fluctuated from 22.25 per net in 2010 to 59.0 per net in 2016 and back down to 4.0 per net in 2022. The current gill net catch rate is the lowest since 2006 (2.25…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
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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