Julia

The Briggs Chain of Lakes is made up of Briggs, Julia and Rush lakes which are connected by a navigable channel. Walleye fry have been stocked into the chain every other year since 1992. Night electrofishing was conducted during the evening of October 3, 2024. A total of nine young of year (YOY) Walleye were collected across the three lakes in a total of 2.3 hours of electrofishing effort for a catch rate of 3.9/hr. This was a decrease over the last stocking in 2022 (13.9/hr). Since 2006 the YOY catch rate across lakes has ranged from 5.7/hr to 131.5/hr with an average of 50.9/hr. Individual lake YOY Walleye catch rates for 2024 were 4.7/hr for Briggs, 6.7/hr for Rush, and 2.0/hr for Julia. Average fingerling length across lakes was 6.7 inches. Survival of Walleye age-1 and older was good. A total of 102 Walleye age-1 and older were collected across the three lakes in a total of 2.3 hours of electrofishing effort for a catch rate of 44.6/hr. Catch rates of age-1 and older Walleye was 52.4/hr for Briggs, 28.8/hr for Rush, and 45.1/hr for Julia. Age-1 or older Walleye sampled ranged in length from 9.1 to 23.6 inches and averaged 15.1 inches. Results from the 2024 lake survey showed that the Walleye catch ranged from 1.3 to 5.0 per gill net, which was below the median value for both Lake Classes 43 (Julia, Rush) and Lake Class 24 (Briggs). These catch rates were a slight increase over the 2019 catch rates that ranged from 1.7 to 3.5 per gill net. Perhaps more interesting was the fact that 45% of the walleye sampled in the 2024 survey were from years where stocking did not occur. Since lakes in the Briggs Chain lack suitable spawning habitat it seems likely that these fish immigrated from nearby Elk Lake which is not stocked by the DNR and is sustained entirely by natural reproduction from the connected Elk River. Fry stocking continues to be the preferred management strategy for Walleye in the Briggs Chain and will be stocked again in 2026.

Briggs, Julia, and Rush Lakes are located five miles north of the City of Clear Lake in northern Sherburne County and together make up the Briggs Chain of Lakes. The lakes are connected by a navigable channel and together make up the Briggs Chain of Lakes. The lakes are shallow and eutrophic. Maximum depths range from 11 feet in Julia to 25 feet in Briggs. They also have relatively poor water quality and experience nuisance algal blooms throughout the summer. Trophic State Index (TSI) values, based on the 10-year average of summer water quality samples, ranged from 63 on Julia to 66 on Rush which classify the lakes as eutrophic. Walleye is the primary managed species on the Briggs Chain with fry being stocked every other year since 1990. A targeted survey consisting of gill nets was completed in 2024 to update data last collected in 2019. These lakes are eutrophic with relatively poor water quality and experience nuisance algal blooms throughout the summer. The immediate watershed surrounding the Briggs Chain is large (10,107 acres) and land use within the watershed is comprised of 33% cultivated crops, 27% open water/wetlands, 23% forest, 13% hay/pasture, and 6% developed. Because of the large agricultural influence within the watershed water quality of these relatively shallow lakes is affected. The Briggs Chain is connected to the Elk River through Briggs Creek and during periods of high water, fish from the Elk River can move into the chain through Rush Lake. Catches of riverine species such as White Sucker, Shorthead and Silver Redhorse, Channel Catfish, and Smallmouth Bass reflect this connection. Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Common Carp, and Yellow Bullhead are known to be present as well. The Walleye catch on the Briggs Chain of Lakes was similar to 2019 survey but remained below the long-term average. Anglers have a wide range of sizes available to them as fish from five to 23 inches were recorded during the survey, with the average length being 17 inches. Walleye grew at an average rate in the Briggs Chain and reached a length of 17 inches by age four. Natural reproduction appears to be making a larger contribution to the Walleye fishery compared to past years with the 2020 and 2023 (both non stocked) year classes comprising 45% of the sample. Although there appears to be some natural reproduction, spring fry stocking will continue to be used as the management strategy to sustain the population. The Northern Pike catch was higher in 2024 than 2019 and was above the long-term average. Northern Pike ranged in length from 16 to 32 inches with an average of 21 inches. Only 16% of the pike sampled were 26 inches or longer and 1% were 30 inches or longer. Anglers are encouraged to harvest fish smaller than 22 inches and release the larger pike. This will help maintain a healthy predator/prey balance within the fish community. Yellow Perch numbers in 2024 were down from 2019 and remained below the long-term average for the chain of lakes. Although not generally of much interest to anglers due to their small size, they are an important source of food for predators. Panfish species in the Briggs Chain include Bluegill, Black Crappie, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed and White Crappie. Crappies provide a popular fishing opportunity in the Briggs Chain and although both species are present, Black Crappies are more common than White Crappie based on survey results. Black Crappie were sampled at a higher rate than in 2019 and gill net catches exceeded the expected range for lakes with similar characteristics and were similar to the record high catches of the early 1980's. Black Crappie ranged in length from four to 14 inches but 96% of the crappies caught in the survey were less than eight inches in length and will need a year or two of growth before they are of interest to most anglers. Few Bluegills were sampled in 2024; however gill net catch rates of Bluegill have historically been low in the Briggs Chain averaging only 2.3 fish/gill net since 1982.

The Briggs Chain of Lakes is made up of Briggs, Julia and Rush lakes which are connected by a navigable channel. Walleye fry have been stocked into the chain every other year since 1992. The Briggs Chain was scheduled to have been stocked in 2020, however due to COVID-19 restrictions stocking was postponed until 2021. Stocking was again completed in 2022 to get back on an even year stocking rotation. Night electrofishing was conducted during the evening of October 3, 2022. A total of 31 young of year (YOY) Walleye were collected across the three lakes in a total of 2.2 hours of electrofishing effort for a catch rate of 13.9/hr. This was a slight increase over the last stocking in 2021 (5.7/hr). Since 2006 the YOY catch rate across lakes has ranged from 5.7/hr to 131.5/hr with an average of 56.1/hr. Individual lake YOY Walleye catch rates for 2022 were 16.6/hr for Briggs, 32.8/hr for Rush, and 5.8/hr for Julia. Mean fingerling length across lakes was 7.9 inches. Survival of Walleye age-1 and older was good. A total of 88 Walleye ? age-1 were collected across the three lakes in a total of 2.2 hours of electrofishing effort for a catch rate of 39.4/hr. Catch rates of age-1 and older Walleye was 39.8/hr for Briggs, 65.6/hr for Rush, and 31.2/hr for Julia. Age-1 or older Walleye sampled ranged in length from 10.8 to 27.0 inches and averaged 16.0 inches. Fry stocking continues to be the preferred management strategy for Walleye in the Briggs Chain and will be stocked again in 2024 on an even year stocking rotation. Year YOY/hr 2006 58.8 2008 100.1 2010 131.5 2012 25.3 2014 88.8 2016 19.4 2018 61.9 2021 5.7 2022 13.2 Average 56.1

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

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

Julia has a maximum depth of 15 feet and a mean depth of 8.2 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Julia is from 2024.

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