Silver

Silver Lake is a 214 acre lake located four miles northeast of Merrifield in Crow Wing County. Silver has a maximum depth of 23'. A nearshore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. Ten 100' long sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lakeshore. Each station was then sampled by backpack electrofishing, and if conditions allowed with a 15' 1/8th inch seine. The 50' 1/8th inch seine was not used in this survey. In this survey all ten stations were sampled by backpack electrofishing. The 15' 1/8th inch seine was used at 6 stations, and four stations had heavy vegetation which did not allow for seining. Only five species were sampled: bluegill, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, and yellow bullhead. This nearshore survey will be used along with the gillnet and trapnet survey on 8-10 June 2015, to calculate an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score. This score will be an indicator of the health of Silver Lake.

A survey of near shore fish species was conducted on July 30, 2015 by IBI Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sampling stations, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 9 stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at 1 site due to abundant bulrush and deep water. Nearshore sampling captured 7 species of fish. Bluegill and Pumpkinseed dominated the catch. The near shore fish survey data is combined with gillnet and trapnet data from a June 2015 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score based on expectations for similar lakes. The FIBI score for Silver Lake is meeting expectations compared to similar lakes; of note was an absence of any fish species classified as tolerant in the FIBI survey. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to a watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. Silver Lake is located in the Mississippi River - Brainerd Watershed. A review of stressor information found low watershed disturbance (14% - NLCD 2011 data) and a 2015 Score the Shore Survey assessed the shoreline habitat as fair; there are approximately 10 docks/km of shoreline.

Silver lake is a 214 acre lake located 4.5 miles northeast of Merrifield in Crow Wing County. The majority of the lake is shallow with 90% of the lake 15 feet deep or less. Maximum depth is 23 feet. A public access is located on the west shoreline. Extensive bulrush beds occur around the lake. Protection of aquatic vegetation, especially emergent vegetation, is important for maintaining good water quality. Aquatic vegetation is critical for fish spawning areas as well as providing habitat for fish and other aquatic life. The northern pike catch was very high at 23.0 per gillnet. Average size was 20.1 inches and 2.0 lbs. Northern pike up to 34.6 inches were captured, with 17% at least 24 inches in length. Voluntary catch and release of these larger northern pike will help create a balanced population. Black crappies were captured in low numbers in gillnets (0.8/net), and in average numbers in trapnets (0.9/net). Crappies up to 11 inches were sampled, with 69% measuring at least 8 inches in length. Bluegills were captured in high numbers at 63.0/ trapnet. Their size was a bit small with an average length of 5.6 inches, with only 2% measuring at least 7 inches in length. No invasive species have been discovered in Silver Lake, but they are located in the local area. Before and after launching lake users are required to inspect and remove any aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and trailers as well as pull the plug and drain all water from the watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, and Hybrid Sunfish in Silver. 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 Silver. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Silver has a maximum depth of 23 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Silver is from 2015. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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