Andrew

Lake Andrew is a 922-acre, moderately fertile basin located a few miles south of Alexandria. Maximum depth exceeds 80 feet. Mean depth is approximately 29 feet. Lake Andrew lies within the Long Prairie River watershed. Water quality and clarity are considered good. Water clarity has increased since establishment of zebra mussels and can now exceed 15 feet during summer months. Residential development surrounds much of the lake, but a large portion of the northern shoreline is undeveloped. A concrete public access is located on the southeast shoreline off Lake Andrew Road SW. Primary fish management efforts are focused on Walleye with bass and sunfish being species of secondary management importance. A standard fisheries survey was completed in 2024 to assess the fish community and gain updated estimates of abundance and size structure of gamefish populations. Lake Andrew is well known as a quality Walleye fishery. Walleye abundance (11.4 fish/gill net) has increased in recent years and now exceeds levels expected for this type of lake. Eleven year classes were represented but two dominant year classes (2018 and 2022) accounted for almost 70% of the sample. Mean size of Walleye captured was 16.1 inches and 1.6 pounds. The largest Walleye sampled was 16 years old and measured over 30 inches. Lake Andrew also supports quality Largemouth Bass and panfish fisheries. Record-high Largemouth Bass abundance was documented in 2024. The bass sampled ranged from 6.3 to 16.6 inches with an average length of 12.9 inches. Panfish populations, particularly Bluegill and Black Crappie, are abundant. Current Bluegill size structure is considered good. Mean length of Bluegill captured was 6.6 inches for trap nets and 7.3 inches for gill nets. Maximum length exceeded 9 inches for both gears. To help maintain the size structure of this population, a special regulation that reduced the daily sunfish limit from 20 down to 10 was implemented in the spring of 2022. Current crappie size structure is also considered good. Mean and maximum lengths of Black Crappie sampled were 9.3 and 13.8 inches, respectively, for trap nets and 10.5 and 13.1 inches, respectively, for gill nets. Yellow Perch abundance has declined in recent years and is now considered low. Harvestable size perch are available but are not common. Northern Pike remained abundant (12.1 fish/gill net) and smaller fish continued to dominate this population. Average size was 20.9 inches and 2.0 pounds. The largest pike measured was just under 30 inches. Northern Pike zone regulations were implemented in 2018 to help improve pike size structure. Lake Andrew is in the North-Central Zone. Anglers can keep up to 10 pike but not more than two can be over 26 inches in length. All pike between 22-26 inches must be immediately released. For more information on Northern Pike zone regulations see: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/pike/index.html. Other species captured during the 2024 survey included Black, Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Green Sunfish, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, and White Sucker. Rock Bass were particularly abundant with a record-high gill net catch of 51.2 per net. The next lake survey is tentatively scheduled for 2028. Lake Andrew is designated as an infested waterbody due to presence of zebra mussels, which were first confirmed in 2016. For more information regarding aquatic invasive species in Minnesota see: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic/index.html.

A targeted survey was completed in the spring of 2023 on Lake Andrew to assess the Bluegill and Black Crappie populations. A special regulation that reduced the daily sunfish limit from 20 down to 10 was implemented in the spring of 2022. The goal of this new regulation is to maintain or increase the average size of Bluegill. This survey will be used to help evaluate effects of the regulation on the Bluegill population. Bluegill catch rates were high, but only 16% of Bluegill were preferred-size (>8.0 inches). Growth rates of Bluegill in Lake Andrew are fast and 6 year old Bluegill averaged 8.5 inches in length. The largest Bluegill observed in the survey was 9.1 inches. Black Crappie catch rates were low and all fish captured were age 4 and younger. Approximately 24% of the fish were greater than 10 inches in length. Black Crappie growth rates are fast; average length of age 4 fish was 10.2 inches. The largest Black Crappie in the sample was 10.5 inches. Quality fishing opportunities exist for multiple species in Lake Andrew. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help sustain the quality of the fishery. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while promoting harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish can help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future. Lake Andrew was designated as an infested water after the discovery of zebra mussels in 2016. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Andrew Lake was conducted on July 5-14, 2022, 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 all 14 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 11 stations, a 15-foot seine was used to sample three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 16 species of fish including four species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program Staff. Twelve trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and Bluegill and Bowfin catch by biomass. The number of Bluegill sampled per net was above the 50% quartile for similar Lake Class 27 lakes. 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., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). 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 indicates Andrew Lake is likely adversely impacted by stressors as indicated by a FIBI score barely above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. 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, Hybrid Sunfish, Walleye, Black Crappie, and Rock Bass in Andrew. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Andrew has a maximum depth of 83 feet and a mean depth of 29 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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