Wilson

Wilson Lake is located 11 miles northwest of Schroeder within the Superior National Forest. There is a public water access with a concrete log ramp on the south end of the lake off Forest Service Road 170 (Four Mile Grade). The fish community is maintained entirely through natural reproduction, and a standard survey was completed in August 2025 to monitor the status of the fishery. Spring trap netting was also completed in May 2025 to sample mature Walleye and Northern Pike near spawning season. The Walleye catch rate of 20.44 per gill net was above the normal range for similar lakes and higher than the catch from the 2019 survey. The lake has always supported an abundant Walleye population, and the 2025 catch was near the long-term average from ten historic surveys of the lake dating back to the 1970's. Size structure of the summer catch was diverse and ranged from about 6 to 26 inches long with an average length of 14.6 inches long and average weight of 1.25 pounds. The age range was also wide with fish from age-1 to age-15 sampled. Results indicate the lake continues to support a naturally reproducing Walleye population with excellent opportunities to catch and harvest fish. The Northern Pike catch from the standard summer survey was within the normal range for similar lakes and within the range from historic surveys of the lake. Pike ranged from about 14 to 34 inches long with good numbers of pike to harvest and some larger fish protected by the current Northeast Zone regulation. Survey results indicate anglers have decent opportunities for pike compared to other lakes in the area. White Sucker and Yellow Perch are the primary forage species and catch rates were within the normal range for similar lakes and within the range from previous surveys of the lake.

Wilson Lake is located 11 miles northwest of Schroeder and within the Superior National Forest. There is a public access with a concrete ramp on the south end of the lake off US Forest Service Road #170. The fish community is sustained entirely through natural reproduction and a standard survey was completed in 2019 to monitor the status of fishery. The Walleye catch rate of 10.11 per gill net was above the normal range for similar lakes, but lower than the previous survey and lower than the long term average for the lake. Size distribution from gill nets was good with an average size of 14.4 inches and 1.13 pounds. Walleye ranged from age-1 to age-14 with twelve year classes identified. These results indicate consistent natural reproduction and recruitment to the fishery. Northern Pike were captured at a rate of 2.11 per gill net, which is similar to previous surveys and within the normal range for similar lakes. Size structure from gill nets was good and pike ranged from 16.9 to 40.9 inches and averaged 25.5 inches with 32% greater than 30 inches long. Age analysis determined pike were between age-2 and age-9 and each of the year classes between were represented. Yellow Perch and White Sucker catches were within the normal range for similar lakes, but lower than the catch rate from previous surveys. Both species are important forage species for the lake and are also harvested by anglers opportunistically when conditions are favorable. Zooplankton sampling was completed on Wilson Lake on August 12th to provide baseline data about the community composition and monitor the lake for aquatic invasive species. The lake was selected for monitoring in 2018 and 2019 because it is considered to be at moderate risk of infestation compared to other area lakes. No aquatic invasive species have been sampled in either year.

A survey was performed on August 16, 2018 to gather baseline information about the zooplankton community and to check for the presence of zebra mussels, spiny water flea, or other aquatic invasive species. Sampling consisted of three vertical hauls with a 50 cm diameter net with 80 micron mesh made over the deepest part of the lake. No aquatic invasive species were sampled.

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

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

Wilson has a maximum depth of 53 feet and a mean depth of 30 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Wilson is from 2025.

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