Boyer

Boyer Lake is a 438-acre lake located in western Becker County, within the Buffalo River watershed. It is moderately developed with a public boat access located on the northwest shore of the lake, adjacent to U.S. Highway 10 east of Lake Park. The Islands found in Boyer Lake are State-owned Waterfowl Management Areas. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Boyer Lake in August 2023 to assess the fish populations. Traditionally, Boyer Lake has had a low abundance of Northern Pike, but numbers have increased recently. The Northern Pike population now has moderate numbers. The size of the pike tend to be good with 41% of the pike sampled in 2023 being over 24 inches. Pike up to 34 inches were measured. Boyer Lake also contains a fairly numerous population of silver pike, which are often mistaken for Muskellunge by anglers. About 21% of the pike captured in 2023 were silver pike. Walleye numbers were well above average for the lake and good size fish were available for anglers to catch. About 54% of the Walleye captured in 2023 were over 15 inches and 37% were over 20 inches. Bluegill were found in small numbers at the lake compared to other area lakes and very few fish over eight inches were observed. The longest Bluegill measured was 9.5 inches. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass were captured in low numbers in the nets, which is often the case with this sampling gear. Black Crappie up to ten inches were measured and Largemouth Bass up to 18.5 inches were captured. Yellow Perch were abundant in Boyer Lake, but only averaged 6.5 inches in length. Other fish species observed were Black, Brown, and Yellow Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.

Boyer Lake is a 438-acre lake located in western Becker County, within the Buffalo River watershed. Boyer Lake is moderately developed, and can be prone to occasional winterkill. There is a public boat access located on the northwest shore of the lake, adjacent to U.S. Highway 10 east of Lake Park. Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, and panfish are all popular targets for anglers on this lake. The Islands found in Boyer Lake are State-owned Waterfowl Management Areas. Boyer Lake is within an established Game Refuge, therefore waterfowl hunting is not allowed within the Refuge boundaries. A standard survey was completed on Boyer Lake on 08/13/2018 to assess the fish community. This survey utilized nine gill nets and nine trap nets. Shoreline habitat conditions and near-shore fish populations were also assessed in 2017, with references in this report. The Northern Pike catch rate in the 2018 survey was within the normal range for this lake, with pike sampled ranging between 10 and 32 inches long. The average length of pike sampled was just over 22 inches. Occasionally, silver phase Northern Pike are caught in Boyer Lake. Anglers often mistakenly identify this color phase of Northern Pike as Muskellunge. Boyer Lake is known for holding large Walleyes. Walleyes sampled during this survey ranged from 11 to nearly 30 inches in length. Multiple year-classes of Walleyes were sampled, indicating that fry stocking continues to be successful for Boyer Lake. Largemouth Bass, Bluegills, and Black Crappies are all components of the fish community in Boyer Lake. Bluegills are at their highest abundance ever observed in Boyer Lake. The majority of the population is small (less than five inches), yet fish over nine inches were observed during this survey. Largemouth Bass and Black Crappies are not well sampled by gear utilized in this survey, yet decent numbers and size ranges of both species were found. Bass fishing is popular on Boyer Lake during summer months, and anglers can expect to find bass from six to 17 inches long. Crappies are a popular target for winter anglers, but the largest crappies sampled during this survey were only around eight inches long. Yellow Perch sampled during this survey reached lengths over 10 inches, and have also become popular with anglers. Chinese Mystery Snails and Curly-Leaf Pond weed are aquatic invasive species (AIS) present in Boyer Lake. AIS can be transferred from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can negatively impact lakes and aquatic communities. To avoid the spreading of AIS to other waters, please follow the current AIS regulations. The near-shore fish community was sampled in Boyer Lake in 2017. The results of this survey suggest that the fish population in Boyer Lake meets expectations for lakes of similar characteristics, and the lake is not biologically impaired. Shoreline habitat was also assessed in 2017 through a Score the Shore survey, designed to provide a means to quantify and compare lakeshore habitat between lakes. The Boyer Lake shoreline habitat score was slightly lower than the statewide lake score. Future development on Boyer Lake should make an effort to preserve aquatic and shoreline habitat so that the health of Boyer Lake is preserved for future generations.

A Targeted Survey was completed on Boyer Lake on June 27th, 2017 to assess the near-shore fish population. This data will be analyzed in conjunction with the standard survey that will be completed in 2018 to provide a complete assessment of the fish community that will be used to evaluate the biological condition of Boyer Lake, and contribute to the assessment of the watershed. Ten sites within Boyer Lake were sampled during this survey. Dense vegetation, soft substrate, and woody habitat within Boyer Lake resulted in difficult sampling conditions at some stations. Electrofishing was conducted from the boat at two stations. Seines were used at a total of seven stations (all 15-foot seine hauls). Steep drop-offs along shore resulted in some narrow seine hauls. Only five fish species were sampled during this survey. Species sampled included Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, and White Sucker. All White Sucker, Northern Pike, and Largemouth Bass sampled were from the 2017 age-class. The results of this survey suggest that the fish population in Boyer Lake meets expectations for lakes of similar characteristics, and the lake is not biologically impaired.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Hybrid Sunfish in Boyer. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Boyer. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Boyer has a maximum depth of 26 feet and a mean depth of 12.5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Boyer is from 2023.

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