Wilson

Lake Wilson is a 170-acre lake located near the City of Lake Wilson in southwest Murray County. Lake Wilson is relatively shallow, having a maximum depth of 8.0 feet. At the time of the assessment, water clarity was 2.5 feet. Lake Wilson is highly productive, likely a result of excessive nutrient runoff from the agriculture dominated watershed and from the impervious surfaces in the City of Lake Wilson. Low dissolve oxygen readings have been documented during several years in Lake Wilson, with the last suspected winterkill occurring during the winter of 2000 and 2001. Currently, Yellow Perch is the primary management species in Lake Wilson, with Black Crappie and Walleye being managed secondarily. The Yellow Perch population had been self-sustaining with no stocking occurring since the 1990's; however, pre-spawn adult Yellow Perch were stocked in 2020 to jumpstart the population. Black crappies are also mostly self-sustaining, with the last stocking occurring in 2003 and 2005. Extensive walleye stocking has occurred in Lake Wilson as multiple life stages of Walleye have been stocked since 2017, with the most recent stocking being Walleye fry in 2025. A standard survey was conducted during the week of June 16, 2025, to monitor fish populations using two gill nets and six trap nets. The 2025 Yellow Perch catch rate was 3.5 per gill net, which is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (2.7 to 25.0 per gill net) but is below the long-term average of 17.4 per gill net. Yellow perch populations tend to be highly variable, which is reflected in the catches of yellow perch in Lake Wilson. Yellow perch populations can follow a pattern where a strong year class is produced, then followed by one to two years of little to no reproduction, resulting in a boom or bust fishery. Lengths of Yellow Perch ranged from 7.1 to 9.1 inches and averaged 8.1 inches. The 2025 yellow perch catch rate met the management goal and the population will continue to be monitored in future surveys. Black crappie trap net catch rates have varied greatly in Lake Wilson, ranging from 0.2 per trap net in 2013 to 14.2 per trap net in 2025. The 2025 catch rate of 14.2 was the highest observed catch rate at Lake Wilson in survey history. The 2025 catch rate of 14.2 per trap net is within the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (1.2 to 20.5 per trap net). Lengths of Black Crappie ranged from 4.2 to 12.1 inches and averaged 8.2 inches. Black Crappie management goals were met and will likely provide a quality fishing opportunity. Walleyes were first stocked in Lake Wilson in 1999, as management practices switched from a largemouth bass and bluegill fishery to species that are slightly more tolerant of hypoxic conditions. Since the initial stocking of walleyes, catch rates have varied from 0.0 per gill net in 2001 to 24.5 per gill net in 2007. In 2025, walleyes were captured at a rate of 4.0 per gill net, which is within the expected range of walleye catch rates (2.3 to 18.1 per gill net) for similar lakes. Walleyes ranged in length from 7.4 to 23.5 inches and averaged 11.3 inches. Age-2 (2023-year class) Walleye accounted for 91 percent of aged Walleye and were likely from a fry stocking in 2025. The 2023-year class should establish well and provide a good angling opportunity in the future. The current stocking regime should continue, as it appears that the Walleye population in Lake Wilson is completely dependent upon stocking. The 2025 Black Bullhead catch rate was 12.5 per gill net, which is below the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (30.3 to 150.6 per gill net), and is the lowest catch rate observed at Lake Wilson. Lengths of Black Bullhead ranged from 6.5 to 8.7 inches and averaged 7.4 inches. Other species sampled included Bigmouth Buffalo, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Shoreline areas on the land and into the shallow water provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife that live in or near Minnesota's lakes. Overdeveloped shorelines cannot support the fish, wildlife, and clean water that are associated with natural undeveloped lakes. Shoreline habitat consists of aquatic plants, woody plants, and natural lake bottom soils. Plants in the water and at the water's edge provide habitat, prevent erosion, and absorb excess nutrients. Shrubs, trees, and woody debris such as fallen trees or limbs provide good habitat both above and below the water and should be left in place. By leaving a buffer strip of natural vegetation along the shoreline, property owners can reduce erosion, help maintain or improve water quality, and provide habitat and travel corridors for wildlife. Best management practices within the watershed (no-till farming, cover crops, buffer strips, targeted fertilizer application, reduced or metered tiling) would help reduce nutrients entering the lake. High nutrient and sediment input can cause algae blooms and reduce overall water quality. Any improvements in the watershed are likely to have positive impacts on the fishery.

Lake Wilson is a 170-acre two basin lake in Murray County adjacent to the city of Lake Wilson. The lake is divided into a north lake and a south lake by Minnesota State Highway 30 with no observable direct connection between the lakes. However, it is believed that there is a culvert under Hwy 30 but possibly buried in rock and likely preventing fish movement but allows water equalization between the basins. Both basins are aerated by PowerHouse Ice Eaters by the Lake Wilson Sportsman's Club. Despite aeration, the south basin of Lake Wilson experienced a fish kill during the winter of 2018-2019. Dead fish were present in the aeration hole and at ice-off in the spring of that year. Again, during the winter of 2022-2023, southern Minnesota experienced a harsh winter and 75 lakes had verified winterkill at varying levels (light, moderate, major). However, Lake Wilson did not experience another winterkill that year and was spared. Walleye fry (N=90,000 Lower Mississippi Strain) were stocked during the spring of 2023. An electrofishing survey was conducted on September 21, 2023 to determine the success of the Walleye fry stocking. Other southern Minnesota lakes were very successful. Eleven minutes of daytime electrofishing was conducted near the public access of North Wilson Lake. Only age-0 Walleye were dipped and measured (N=134), however many (estimated more than 30) adult Walleye of sizes ranging from 15 to 25 inches were observed. Age-0 Walleye ranged from 6.0 to 7.7 inches with an average length of 7.2 inches. If the number of fish caught in 11 minutes of on-time was extrapolated to 1 hour of daytime electrofishing, then it would have been possible that the catch rate could have exceeded 700 per hour. The fry stocking appeared to be very successful. A full standard survey will be conducted during the summer of 2025 at which point the relative abundance of the Walleye population will be evaluated.

Lake Wilson is a 170-acre two basin lake in Murray County adjacent to the city of Lake Wilson. The lake is divided into a north lake and a south lake by Minnesota State Highway 34 with no observable direct connection between the lakes. However, it is believed that there is a culvert under Hwy 30 but possibly buried in rock and likely preventing fish movement but allows water equalization between the basins. Both basins are aerated by PowerHouse Ice Eaters by the Lake Wilson Sportsman's Club. Despite aeration, the south basin of Lake Wilson experienced a fish kill during the winter of 2018-2019. Dead fish were present in the aeration hole and at ice-off in the spring. An electrofishing survey was conducted on April 24, 2019 to determine the extent of the winterkill in the south basin of Lake Wilson. Six species of fish were captured including Bigmouth Buffalo (118.0 per hour), Black Bullhead (4.0 per hour), Common Carp (102.0 per hour), Fathead Minnow (6.0 per hour), White Sucker (22.0 per hour), and Yellow Perch (2.0 per hour). It appears that Lake Wilson experienced a partial winterkill that affected species such as Crappie and Yellow Perch. Walleye fry were stocked in the spring of 2019 to get some predators back in the lake for rough fish control. During fall electrofishing, age-0 Walleye were sampled at a rate of 25 per hour, which had potential to produce a decent year class.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Channel Catfish, Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, and Bluegill in Wilson. 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 Wilson. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Wilson has a maximum depth of 8 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.