Sylvia Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73024900
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Sylvia Lake since 2024, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (100,000 fish).
- Sylvia Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2024-2024): walleye (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 100,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 56 ft; surface area 85 acres, 22 littoral acres, 2.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), channel catfish, common carp, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and 7 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Ward Springs; DNR lake number (DOW) 73024900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/15/1975 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.9 |
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 ACCESS ON THE SOUTH END OF THE LAKE. |
DNR fish survey, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 45.45 | 34 | 1.53 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 18.72 | 14 | 0.95 |
| Walleye | Standard electrofishing | 8.02 | 6 | 0.59 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 5.17 | 31 | 0.25 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 12 | 0.45 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 1.17 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 3.69 |
| Channel catfish | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 3.39 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.32 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 1.06 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 1.04 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 8 | 2.72 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 2 | 2.66 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 2.48 |
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.
Sylvia Lake is a small, scenic lake in northern Stearns County about 5 miles north of Melrose. It's connected to Little Birch Lake via a short, but non-navigable channel. A fishing pier and shoreline fishing-site is located in Lake Sylvia County Park on the south end of the lake near the public boat access which is immediately east of the Park. Sylvia is a relatively clear-water lake that supports a slightly unusual fish community for lakes in this area of the state. In addition to common species such as Walleye, Northern Pike, Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, the lake also contains Channel catfish, Shorthead Redhorse, Greater Redhorse and Bigmouth Buffalo; all migrants from the Sauk River via Adley Creek (lake outlet). Cisco, a species on the southern edge of its range, is also supported in Sylvia Lake due to the lakes high water quality. Recent surveys depict a Smallmouth Bass fishery that may be of most interest to anglers. Electrofishing surveys capture good numbers of smallmouth, some up to 18 inches or more. Largemouth Bass are present in fewer numbers but attain large size as well. Northern Pike and Walleye appear to be quite low in abundance, however, large individuals of both species have been sampled in nets. Bluegill and Black Crappie are average in abundance and size however, lengths up to 8 and 13 inches have been recorded for each respective species. Good shore-fishing opportunities for panfish are available at Lake Sylvia County Park. Ciscoes are coldwater fish present in Sylvia Lake. They're indicator species of lakes with high water quality. Ciscoes are declining in many Minnesota lakes due to climate change and nutrient runoff. The greatest period of stress occurs in late summer when oxy-thermal habitat is most limited. Summer oxy-thermal habitat is found at mid-lake depths where the temperature is below 70 degrees and dissolved oxygen is adequately present. Hotter, longer summers coupled with high nutrient runoff can put the squeeze on this deeper layer of oxy-thermal habitat Ciscoes depend on. Since Ciscoes demonstrate some resilience to warmer water temperatures, farmers, lakeshore residents, townships, counties and other stakeholders are encouraged to minimize nutrient runoff by giving up the use of fertilizers and adopt shoreline vegetative buffer strips or cover crops as the situation pertains. The bog ecosystem with its many springs on the west side of Sylvia Lake is rare in central Minnesota and preserving it is essential to maintaining lake water quality. Steep drop-offs around much of the lake limit the amount of vegetated…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.