Silver

Silver Lake is a 46 acre lake located in the northwest part of the city of Virginia. It is accessed by a concrete ramp on the lakes west shore, with a small parking area. Only electric motors are allowed on the lake. There are also two fishing piers (one on the south shore and one in the northeast corner), and a swimming beach in the northwest corner. This lake has a maximum depth of 29 feet and clear water. Silver was weakly thermally stratified on July 6, 2020 with a surface temperature of 79 F and a bottom temperature of 52 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish throughout the water column. There is one inlet from Virginia Lake, which allows for fish passage but is not passable by boat. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly gravel, sand, and boulder. There are extremely dense beds of aquatic vegetation along the shoreline to a depth of 6 feet and additional vegetation growth to a maximum depth of 12 feet. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 31.5 fish/net which was below average for the lake, however yield was 46.4 lbs/net, which was better than average. Fish species sampled were bluegill, northern pike, pumpkinseed, largemouth bass, white sucker, black crappie, walleye, yellow perch, and rock bass. Trap nets caught fish at an overall rate of 21.4 fish/net which was the lowest catch rate on record. Yield was 4.0 lbs/net which was also the lowest on record. This survey was conducted later in the summer than past surveys which made trap netting more difficult due to the amount of aquatic vegetation that had already grown up. This may have been a factor in the lower catches. Brown bullhead was the only additional species sampled in trap nets that wasn't also sampled in gill nets. Three walleye were sampled in the two gillnet sets for a catch rate of 1.5 fish/net. This was below average compared to other similar lakes, and compared to the average catch rate on Silver Lake. The fish were all about 6 years old and 19 and 23 inches long, indicating that stocking has not been very effective in providing a walleye fishery and there is little to no natural reproduction. Silver lake is stocked with fingerling walleye in odd years (2015, 2017, 2019, etc). The northern pike gillnet catch was 7.0 fish/net which was the highest on record for Silver Lake and very good compared to other similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 18 to 30 inches with an average of just over 25 inches. Six largemouth bass were captured in gill nets for a catch rate of 3.0 fish/net which was very good compared to other similar lakes and the highest on record for Silver Lake. Lengths ranged from 13 to 16 inches with an average of over 14 inches. Sizes were similar to past surveys and ages ranged from four to six years old. Five black crappie were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 2.5 fish/net which was better than average compared to other similar lakes but tied for the lowest catch rate on record on Silver Lake. Three additional crappie were sampled in the trap nets. Lengths of the combined catch ranged from 6 to nearly 12 inches with an average of just over 9 inches. In general, sizes were better than past surveys. Ages ranged from three to six. The bluegill trapnet catch was 14.4 fish/net which was very good compared to other similar lakes, but the lowest catch rate on record for Silver Lake. Sizes were small with a range of 3 to just over 8 inches and an average of nearly 5 inches. This average length was the smallest on record when compared to past surveys on Silver Lake. Rusty crayfish, which are an invasive species, were first sampled in 2010 when one crayfish was caught. Two more were sampled in the 2020 survey.

Silver Lake is a 45-acre lake with a maximum depth of 29 feet located within the city limits of Virginia in central St. Louis County. There is a park with a concrete boat ramp on the west shore of the lake. Outboard motors are not allowed by city ordinance, but electric motors are. There are two public fishing piers on the lake. Most of the shoreline is owned by the city of Virginia and is accessible to anglers. Based on physical and chemical characteristics, Silver Lake was categorized as being in lake class 11. This is lake class is typically small (mean= 161 acres), moderately deep (mean= 30 feet) with clear water. Typical fish communities for this lake class are composed of northern pike, white sucker, sunfish, black crappie, and yellow perch. There is a fish consumption advisory on Silver Lake. For information see www.mndnr.gov/Lakefinder. Anglers will find bluegill abundant in Silver Lake with fish up to eight inches in length. A boat is not necessary when fishing this lake. Much of the shoreline is publicly owned. Public fishing piers are located on the northeast and west side of the lake. Black crappie is another species that anglers will have success catching. Results of the 2010 investigation indicate that crappie up to 11 inches are present. Northern pike up to 28 inches were sampled by DNR personnel with an average length of 25 inches. DNR also stocks walleye in Silver Lake as a "bonus fish" for anglers to catch. Anglers can expect to catch 16-18 inch walleye. Other species present in Silver Lake include: largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, rock bass, white sucker, and yellow bullhead.

Silver Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 11, which consists of 49 small lakes in northeast Minnesota. Silver Lake is smaller and has harder (more mineralized) water than typical for this lake class.Silver Lake ranks as eutrophic according to Carlson's Trophic State Index, using mean annual values of 47 ppb total phosphorus, 13 ppb chlorophyll-a, and 1.9 m Secchi water clarity (1994 data provided by Northeast Technical Services).Silver Lake was thermally stratified on 06/23/2003 with a surface temperature of 75 F and a bottom temperature of 55 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was retained to a depth of 16 ft, where the temperature was 69 F. The inlet from Virginia Lake passes through culverts with water 4 ft deep, allowing fish passage. The outlet, to Mashkenode Lake, has a stoplog control structure with a 2 ft head that is an effective fish barrier. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly gravel, sand, and boulder. There are dense beds of aquatic vegetation along the shoreline out to a depth of 6 ft and vegetation grows to a maximum depth of 12 ft; the most common plants are Sago pondweed, flatstem pondweed, and coontail.Fish sampling during the 2003 fish population assessment consisted of two standard gillnet sets and eight standard trapnet sets. Nine trapnet sets were planned for 2003, but one was not set due to heavy vegetation. Five previous fisheries investigations on Silver Lake, dating back to 1981, each used two gillnet sets and 3-9 trapnet sets. All six of these investigations were done in June. In addition to the above sampling, two gillnets were set in mid-September of 1969 and captured very few fish. Shoreline seines were used in the 1981 investigation and ?" trapnets were used in the 1998 investigation. Fish populations in 2003 were dominated by bluegill sunfish, followed by black crappie, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, and largemouth bass. More northern pike and fewer bluegill, crappie, and yellow perch were captured in 2003 than was typical for this lake.Bluegill numbers in the trapnets in 2003 (63/net) were lower than the median catch of 94/net in all investigations on this lake, while bluegill numbers in the gillnets (30/net) were at the median for all investigations on this lake. Bluegill abundance in both types of gear was in the fourth quartile for this lake class. Bluegill sizes in 2003 averaged 5.3" in the trapnets and 5.9" in the gillnets, both of which were in the first quartile for this lake class and were smaller than the average bluegill size in all investigations on this lake. The largest bluegill caught in 2003 was 7.5". Most bluegill captured in 2003 were age five (26 percent) or age six (59 percent). Growth of bluegill captured in 2003 was slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.Black crappie numbers in the trapnets in 2003 (0.6/net) were lower than the median catch of 8.7/net in all investigations on this lake, and crappie numbers in the gillnets (5.0/net) were lower than the median catch of 11.0/net in all investigations on this lake. Crappie abundance in the trapnets was at the first quartile for this lake class, while crappie abundance in the gillnets was in the third quartile.Crappie sizes in 2003 averaged 7.5" in the trapnets and 7.0" in the gillnets, both of which were in the second quartile for this lake class and similar to the average crappie size in all investigations on this lake. The largest crappie captured in 2003 was 8.6". Crappie scales for age and growth analysis were taken from fish captured in the trapnets, which is the normal gear for sampling crappie. Too few crappie were caught in the trapnets in 2003 to estimate year class strength and growth.Northern pike numbers in 2003 (5.5/gillnet) were in the third quartile for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 1.5/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Pike sizes in 2003 averaged 26.0" (4.1 lb), which was in the fourth quartile for this lake class and was larger than the average size of 24.6" in all investigations on this lake. The largest pike captured in 2003 was 30.2". Pike scales were collected for age and growth analysis and were moderately difficult to read. Most pike were age three or four, and pike growth was faster than normal (in the fourth quartile) by area standards.Walleye fry were stocked periodically from 1924 through 1941 and in 1968 and 1969. No walleye were captured in the 1969 investigation and one 26" walleye was captured in the 1981 investigation, indicating that long-term survival or natural reproduction of walleye from these fry stockings was minimal. More recently, walleye fingerlings have been stocked biennially from 1983 through 2003. Walleye numbers in 2003 (2.5/gillnet) were in the second quartile for this lake class and were at the median for all investigations on this lake since walleye were first captured in 1981. Walleye sizes in 2003 averaged 18.2" (2.6 lb), which was in the fourth quartile for this lake class and was smaller than the average size of 20.2" in all investigations on this lake. The largest walleye captured in 2003 was 27". Walleye scales were collected for age and growth analysis and were moderately difficult to read. Two of the five walleye captured may have been from non-stocked year classes, and walleye growth appeared to be somewhat slower than normal by area standards (in the second or third quartiles, depending on the age).White sucker numbers in 2003 (4.0/gillnet) were in the third quartile for this lake class and were at the median for all investigations on this lake.Yellow perch numbers in 2003 (3.0/gillnet) were in the second quartile for this lake class and were lower than the median catch of 16.5/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Perch sizes in 2003 averaged 7.9" (0.2 lb), which was in the third quartile for this lake class and was larger than the average size of 6.7" in all investigations on this lake. The largest perch in 2003 (caught in a trapnet) was 9.5". Perch growth appeared to be slower than normal (in the first quartile) by area standards.Largemouth bass numbers in 2003 (2.1/trapnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were higher than the median catch of 1.0/trapnet in all investigations on this lake. The abundance of largemouth bass in Silver Lake is probably greater than indicated by the net catches, as bass are known to be "net shy". Largemouth are commonly caught by anglers on Silver Lake, along with bluegill and northern pike.Neascus and yellow grub were observed on a few of the gamefish examined in 2003, but the level of infection was lower than in 1998. Neascus (black spot) and yellow grub are common parasites that are native to the area. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.

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

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

Silver has a maximum depth of 29 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Silver is from 2020.

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.