Silver

Silver Lake is a Class 10 lake located 9 miles northeast of Cusson, MN. Access to Silver Lake is somewhat difficult. There is an ATV access trail off the North Elephant Lake Road. The maximum depth of Silver Lake is 28 feet, though 70 percent of the total surface area is less than 15 feet deep. Boulder and sand are the most common shoal water substrates. Past water chemistry analysis indicated a soft water lake with low productivity and fertility. Various species of pondweeds and water celery were the dominant submerged vegetation in past surveys, which grew to a maximum depth of 17 feet. Smallmouth Bass spawning habitat was rated "excellent" during the 2003 lake survey. Northern Pike and Yellow Perch spawning habitat received a "good" rating. Current fishing regulations on Silver Lake for Northern Pike follow the Northeast Zone regulation, which is a possession limit of 2 with not more than 1 over 40" in possession and all Northern Pike from 30-40" must be immediately released. Sunfish fishing regulation follows the statewide regulation with a 20-combination total possession limit. Northern Pike gill-net catch rate was 20.3 fish per net, which is well above the average for similar class lakes. Catch rate was above the management goal of an abundance of 5.3 fish per gill net for Silver Lake. Total length ranged from 20.4 to 32.2 inches and the mean length was 25.5 inches. Mean weight of Northern Pike captured in gill nets was 3.6 pounds which is above average for similar lakes. A total of seven year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2 - 9 years. Silver Lake offers a decent fishing opportunity for Northern Pike. Bluegill gill-net catch rate was 28.5 fish per net. Total length ranged from 2.7 to 6.8 inches and the mean length was 4.8 inches. Mean weight captured in trap nets was 0.08 pounds. A total of eight year classes were present, and ages ranged from 2 - 11 years. Silver Lake produces a fair number Bluegills, but few over 8 inches. Yellow Perch gill-net catch rate was 4.8 fish per net, which is above the average for similar lakes. Total length ranged from 5.9 to 8.7 inches and the mean length was 6.8 inches. Mean weight was 0.1 pounds, which is average for similar lakes. Four year classes were present, and ages ranged from 5-9 years. Yellow Perch can offer an additional fishing opportunity but also offers great forage for Northern Pike.

Silver is a 113 acre class 10 lake located 9 miles northeast of Cusson Minnesota. Access to Silver Lake is somewhat difficult. Access in July of 2003 was by way of two track trail on the east end of the lake, located at mile marker 4 on federal forest road 203. The trail is part of Deer Tracker Wildlife Mngnt. Area and is 0.9 of a mile long ending at an ATV trail that leads to the lake. The 2003 lake survey found good numbers of northern pike with a average length of 26.5 inches, the largest being 32.6 inches. Although bluegill showed up in good numbers, sizes were small and growth was poor. Length of bluegill at age 4 was 3.8 inches, well below our area average of 5.7 inches at age 4. Yellow perch gillnet CPUE of 1.3 falls below the median of class 10 lakes.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, and Pumpkinseed 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 28 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Silver is from 2023.

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.