Davis (Main Bay)

Davis Lake is a small, 45 acre lake within the Sandy River system located about three miles northwest of McGregor. The maximum depth of Davis Lake is 32 feet. Development on the lake is minimal, and there is no public access on the lake. Davis Lake is prone to have periodic fish kills in the summer and winter. Davis collects a large amount of organic input from the Sandy River watershed and can have a high biological oxygen demand. Game fish present in Davis Lake include: walleye, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie.The catch rate for northern pike was 2.3 fish per net in 2005 and has ranged from 1.7 to 5.0 since the lake was first surveyed in 1984. The northern pike catch rate documented in this survey is considered below average for this type of lake. The mean length of pike was 20 inches and the longest was 26 inches. Four walleye were sampled in the 2005 survey all of which were caught in trap nets near shore. The smallest was 10 inches and the largest was 18 inches. There were 17 crappies caught during the survey the largest of which was 12.5 inches long, however the majority of crappies sampled were from the 2002 year class and averaged about 7 inches long. Bluegill abundance is below average for this lake type at 2.5 fish per trap net and the mean size was 5.5 inches. Black, yellow and brown bullheads are present in Davis Lake, however black bullheads are the most abundant of the three and dominated the trap net catches. The Davis Lake fish community is likely to vary greatly dependent upon seasonal variations in temperature and flow regime. For instance anglers would likely find higher numbers of walleye and northern pike early in the year when water temperatures are cooler and there is more water moving through the system.

The trap net indices for yellow bullhead, rock bass, pumpkinseed and black crappie are below the first regional quartiles for those species. The gillnet index for yellow perch is below the first regional quartile. There were no walleye caught in the gillnets but the catch index was above the third regional quartile for walleye caught in trap nets. Northern pike ranged from two to five years of age. The growth rate for the first growth increment was twenty-three percent faster than normal. The growth rates for the third and fourth growth increments were twenty-four and thirty- five percent slower than normal respectively. Black crappie ranged from six to eight years of age. The growth rates for the eight growth increment checked were normal. Yellow perch ranged from three to six years of age. The growth rates for the first four increment were normal. The growth rates for the fifth and sixth growth increments were twenty-seven and forty-four percent slower than normal respectively walleye ranged from three to eight plus years of age. The growth rates for the fifth through the eighth growth increment ranged from twenty-six to fifty percent slower than normal.

The northern pike and brown bullhead populations are above local medians. Yellow bullhead and pumpkinseed population are normal and the bluegill and black crappie populations are below local medians the northern pike, walleye and black crappie are growing at normal rates, the pumpkinseeds and bluegills are growing faster than normal.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, and Bluegill in Davis (Main Bay). See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Davis (Main Bay). Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Davis (Main Bay) has a maximum depth of 32 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Davis (Main Bay) is from 2005. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Davis (Main Bay) in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.