Victoria

Lake Victoria is a 419 acre basin located on the eastern city limits of Alexandria. Connections exist to Geneva and Jessie lakes, but shallow water may prohibit larger boats from navigating through these channels. A public access is located on the south shore off of County Road 23. A handicapped-accessible public fishing pier is located adjacent to the public access. This is a popular fishing pier due to a sharp drop off and greater depth under the pier. The shoreline of Lake Victoria is highly developed and largely bluff. The lake bottom is also steeply sloped, resulting in rapid drop-offs close to shore and limited shallow water habitat. The unique shape of this basin (i.e., a narrow horseshoe) makes it less susceptible to wave action and is often utilized as a calm retreat by both anglers and recreational boaters on windy days. While Lake Victoria is typically more turbid than the rest of the lakes in the Alexandria Chain, water quality and clarity are considered good. Water transparency readings often exceed 9.0 feet during summer months. Lake Victoria supports abundant populations of Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill and Black Crappie. The Walleye fishery is supplemented with combined fingerling stockings of the DNR and private user groups. Unfortunately, survival of these stocked Walleye following establishment of zebra mussels has declined. Despite consistently high Walleye fingerling stocking over the last 20 years, Walleye gill net catch rates continue to decline across the Alexandria Chain of Lakes and were recorded at 1.1 fish/net in Lake Victoria during the 2024 survey. Clearer water tends to favor bass and panfish populations and Lake Victoria continues to provide ample fishing opportunities for those species. Bluegill abundance is high and a lot of fish over 7 inches were caught in the survey with several fish observed over 9 inches. Catch rates of Black Crappie were low during the survey, but this species often moves off-shore in late summer and are less vulnerable to capture in survey nets. Largemouth Bass catch rates were high. A lot of the bass caught during the survey were smaller. Look for average size of Largemouth Bass to improve in coming years. Northern Pike abundance has declined to more moderate levels, following higher catch rates in 2016 and 2020. Average size of Northern Pike has been improving in recent years, with many fish over 30 inches observed in this survey. Yellow Perch catch rates remain low, but did increase slightly from the past few surveys. Lower abundance of Walleye and Northern Pike have likely relieved predation pressure on Yellow Perch and allowed that population to expand. Yellow Perch growth rates were slow, but several 8 year old fish were approaching 10 inches. Quality fishing opportunities exist for many species in Lake Victoria. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help improve and sustain quality fishing experiences. Selective harvest encourages release of larger fish while encouraging harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish will help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Victoria Lake was conducted on August 29-30, 2022, by DNR Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations, a 15-foot seine was used at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 19 species of fish including six species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Pugnose Shiner, Rock Bass and Smallmouth Bass) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish and Fathead Minnow). A summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff on August 29-30, 2022. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 12 species of fish, including one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Common Carp). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number, and Common Carp and Bluegill comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a 2020 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Banded Killifish, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish and Fathead Minnow). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Long Prairie River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

A targeted survey of nearshore and littoral fish species in Victoria Lake was conducted beginning on August 9th, 2021 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample six stations, a 15-foot seine was used at three stations, and site conditions (soft sediment and deep water) prevented the use of seines at one station. Nearshore sampling captured 18 species of fish including six species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted the week of August 9th, 2021 by IBI Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill and Yellow Bullhead comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and biomass. Bluegill count per net was between the 50th and 75th quartile, while the Bluegill mean weight was below the 25th quartile for similar Lake Class 25 lakes. The Yellow Bullhead count was above the 50th quartile and Brown Bullhead count per net was above the 75th quartile.. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a June 2020 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g. Banded Killifish, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Green Sunfish, Fathead Minnows, and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Long Prairie River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

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

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

Victoria has a maximum depth of 60 feet and a mean depth of 32 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Victoria is from 2024.

Yes — Victoria has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.