Silver

Silver Lake is a 34-acre impoundment of the South Fork Zumbro River located within the city of Rochester, MN. The impoundment is created by a dam, owned and operated by Rochester Public Utilities (RPU). Water quality in the reservoir is affected by sediment deposition from upstream sources and urban runoff. Water quality is also likely affected by use of a large Canada goose flock that winters on the lake. Much of the shoreline of Silver Lake is within a publicly owned park and offers easily accessible angling opportunity in an urban environment. The fish population was sampled in 2007 using gill nets, trap nets, shoreline seining and electro-fishing. Bluegill, black crappie and white sucker were the most common species sampled. Other gamefish sampled included white crappie, largemouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. Trap net catches of black crappie and bluegill were 15/net and 21/net, respectively and within the normal range for lakes of this class. Black crappie up to 10 inches long, were sampled and average length was 7.8 inches. The largest bluegill sampled was 7 inches long and average length was 5.7 inches. Largemouth bass were collected by electro-fishing at a rate of 32 fish/hour. Bass from 8 to 11.8 inches were sampled and average length was 9.6 inches. White suckers and golden redhorse are also abundant and could provide good angling opportunities.

Silver Lake is a 34-acre impoundment on the South Fork Zumbro River located in the city of Rochester, MN. The reservoir pool is maintained by a dam owned and operated by Rochester Public Utilities (RPU). Like most reservoirs in southern Minnesota, Silver Lake collects sediment and nutrients that would normally be transported and deposited downstream as part of a natural hydrologic process. Because of the dam however, long-term deposition of sediment and nutrients has occurred within the impoundment, resulting in a significant degradation of water quality and fish habitat. The fish population was sampled using 2 gillnets, 7 trapnets and 5 seine hauls. Five electrofishing stations were also completed. White suckers were the most common species collected, followed by black and white crappie. Other gamefish species sampled were bluegill, largemouth bass and northern pike. When compared to other similar lakes in Minnesota, Silver Lake had a higher abundance of both black and white crappie than what we would typically expect to see (73/trapnet and 39/trapnet, respectively). The average size however is small (6-7 inches). Habitat for crappies in Silver Lake is limited to areas of undeveloped shoreline where partially submerged woody debris is common. Largemouth bass were collected by electrofishing at a rate of 51/hour. Individual lengths ranged from 5-16 inches. Fish that were 11-12 inches in length were about 5 years of age. Bluegill abundance (12/trapnet) was about what we would expect to see in a lake like Silver. Average size is small (5.3 inches) and similar to crappies, were more abundant near undeveloped shoreline areas. Silver lake is dominated by non-gamefish, however, crappies and bluegill are fairly abundant and provide easily accessible angling opportunities within an urban environment.

Silver lake is a 34 acre impoundment on the Zumbro River located in the City of Rochester. The Silver Lake Dam creates the impoundment that is famous for the thousands of canada geese that reside there. Warmwater discharge to the lake from Rochester Public Utilities creates open water conditions during much of the winter, making it an even more attractive site to local waterfowl.The most abundant gamefish present are white and black crappie. Trapnetting during this assessment collected 51 and 38/net, respectively. Both species are present in higher numbers than we'd expect to see in lakes of similar character. Average length is only about 7.5 inches, but there are enough of them to make summer or winter fishing worth while.An electrofishing boat was used to collect largemouth bass in the fall of the year. A total of 30 largemouth bass ranging from 5 to 17 inches were sampled at a rate of 32/hour. The Silver lake dam is one of several dams on the Zumbro River. Despite the "flat water" fishing opportunities they can provide, dams for the most part are bad for river fisheries. They block the natural migration of fishes, slowly collect nutrients and sediment, and eventually become shallow, soft-bottomed pools of highly fertile water. Plants and fish such as algae and carp thrive in such environments.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target White Crappie, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie 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 11 feet and a mean depth of 2 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Silver is from 2007. 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.