Lily

Spring Trap netting was performed May 24-26 to provide pre-regulation data on the Bluegill size structure. A bag limit of 5 sunfish was implemented on March 1, 2021 as Lily Lake was selected for participation in the statewide Quality Sunfish Initiative. The objective of the lowered bag limit is to reduce sunfish harvest and allow for more fish to attain larger sizes (8-10 inches). Data collected during this survey is considered pre-regulation data due to the short time period since the inception of the reduced bag limit. Spring trap netting is the preferred method for evaluating panfish populations and has been conducted on the lake four previous times since 2003. Several future evaluations relating to the 5 sunfish bag limit are planned over the 10 year evaluation period and will incorporate trap netting to provide proper comparisons. Spring trap netting in 2021 captured 544 Bluegill. Sample sizes for Bluegill in Lily Lake have ranged from 323 to 963 fish over the five historical efforts. Bluegill in 2021 ranged from 3.5 - 10.63 inches and mean length was 7.12 inches. The Bluegill sizes desired by anglers of fish over 7 inches comprised 62% of the catch and fish greater than 8 inches made up 11% of the sample. Eight fish over 9 inches were measured (1.3% of sample). Bluegill 10 inches or greater were last observed in 2016. Bluegill size structure goals developed for the Quality Sunfish Initiative aim for at least 50% of the sample to exceed 7 inches, 20% to exceed 8 inches, 5% over 9 inches and the persistent presence of fish 10 inches or longer. Whether voluntary or required due to the reduced bag limit, release of larger sunfish, especially fish over 9 inches will be important if the lake is to realize its potential in reaching management goals. Additional criteria that may be used to measure success of the reduced sunfish bag limit include: mean size, catch rate of fish over 8 inches, and mean length of top 10% of fish. When combining the five pre-regulation spring trap net surveys, mean size is 6.96 inches, mean catch rate of fish over 8 inches is 6.5/net, and mean length of the top 10% is 8.59 inches. Otoliths were extracted during spring electrofishing in 2020 with aging of these structures indicating that Bluegill grow well, attaining 7.1 inches at Age 5 and 8.3 inches at Age 7. Spring trap nets have produced Black Crappie catches that have ranged from 41 to 132 fish since this type of sampling began in 2003. The 2021 effort provided a sample of 108 fish ranging from 4.4 to 13.2 inches in length. Fish 10 inches or longer comprised 28% of the catch and mean length was 8.73 inches. Crappies 12 inches or better have been sampled in each spring trap net assessment since 2009. The crappie bag limit remains at 10 fish.

Lily Lake is a small (62 acre) bass/panfish lake located near Sauk Centre, MN. Access facilities are somewhat limited as launching is done off of a gravel road and no dock or concrete ramp is present. A five (5) fish bag limit on sunfish is scheduled for implementation on March 1, 2021 as Lily Lake has been selected for participation in the statewide Quality Sunfish Initiative. The lower bag limit is intended to reduce the harvest of sunfish while improving the sizes of sunfish available to anglers. The goal is to have the lake produce more 7 to 9 inch sunfish which are most desired by anglers. Evaluations of lakes that have had similar reduced bag limits for several years have shown that most respond favorably and produce larger sunfish. Spring trap netting is the preferred method for evaluating Bluegill populations, however electrofishing was employed due to staff/time shortages resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Daytime electrofishing was performed on May 27, 2020 to provide pre-regulation data on the Bluegill size structure. Future evaluations relating to the 5 sunfish bag limit will incorporate trap netting to provide proper comparisons. Electrofishing appeared to be a highly efficient sampling method with 197 fish captured in just over 11 minutes of on-time. Bluegills appeared to be just in the initial phase of spawning or pre-spawn and were in the shallows in large, highly visible schools. Electrofished Bluegill ranged from 3.3 - 9.0 inches in length with most length groups well represented up to 9 inches. Fish over 7 inches comprised 47% of the catch and quality size Bluegill were present with fish over 8 inches making up 9% of the sample. Otoliths were extracted from a sample of Bluegills for aging purposes. Ages 2-9 were found in the sample with Age 5 comprising over 60% of the catch. Lily Lake Bluegills displayed good growth with 5 year old fish averaging 7.1 inches and sustained growth through 9 inches. Previous spring trap net surveys were conducted in 2003, 2009, 2013 and 2016. Trap nets have provided larger sample sizes of 323 to 963 fish. The 2016 spring trap net assessment results showed the most impressive Bluegill size structure with 74% of the catch over 7 inches, more than 32% greater than 8 inches and nearly 5% over 9 inches. Maximum length was 10.16 inches. Bluegill over 7 inches in previous trap net efforts comprised 30-64% of the catch and fish over 9 inches have been observed in all spring sampling efforts. While fishing for sunfish it is best to limit your take of the large individuals, especially the males. The large males exhibit the best growth rates and also inhibit smaller and slower growing males from spawning. Studies have shown that it is important for sunfish to use their resources for growth instead of reproduction at younger ages and smaller sizes. Male Bluegill can usually be discerned from females by their brighter coloration and darker orange bellies. Black Crappie were spawning in good numbers in several locations and would have made easy sampling targets if warranted.

A targeted survey consisting of summer trap netting and nearshore fish sampling was conducted on June 15, 2016 by Fisheries Lake IBI Program staff. Trap netting consisted of three locations on Lily Lake and six locations on Long Lake. Nearshore fish sampling consisted of four stations on Lily Lake and six stations on Long Lake that were evenly spaced apart. Each nearshore fish sampling station was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten stations, a 50-foot seine was used to sample three stations, a 15-foot seine was used at three stations, and conditions prevented the use of seines at four sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 15 species of fish including species intolerant of habitat disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, and Least Darter) as well as two tolerant species (Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). Trap nets captured a representative sample of the fish community and Bluegill were the most abundant species. Data from Lily Lake and adjoining Long Lake were combined to calculate a single Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) with data from a standard game fish surveys completed in August 2016 that describes the overall health of the fish community. The combined FIBI score for Lily and Long lakes based on this data is above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes and indicates a healthy fish community. Data from this survey will be included as part of a process to assess the condition of surface waters of the Sauk River watershed.

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

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

Lily has a maximum depth of 38 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Lily is from 2016. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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