Mary

Mary Lake is a 209 acre general development lake located two miles north of Maple Lake in central Wright County. A public access is located on the northwest side of the lake with room for 4 - 6 truck/trailer rigs. Mary Lake has a maximum depth of 102 feet and water clarity is fair with an average summer Secchi reading of about seven feet. Adequate dissolved oxygen was present to a depth of 16 feet during the week of the survey. A standard lake survey was conducted in 2017 to monitor changes in the fishery from the last survey completed in 2008. In addition to the standard lake survey, an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) survey was conducted in August. Emergent and floating-leaf vegetation covered a fifth of the lakes surface area and a majority of the shoreline in July. Cattail and white waterlily were the primary species. Submerged vegetation was not surveyed in 2017, but Coontail and Eurasian watermilfoil were the dominant species found during the 2008 survey. Walleye were stocked about every other year from 1964 2016; however since stocking was not as successful as hoped it was discontinued after 2016. The catch of Walleye (2.0/gill net) was within the historical range of 0.5 to 3.8/gill net and above the first quartile value for Lake Class 24. Twelve Walleye were sampled and ranged from 12.4 to 20.2 inches with a mean length of 17.5 inches. The catch of Northern Pike was similar from that of 2008 and within the expected range of values for similar lakes. Pike ranged in length from 21 to 31 inches with an average length and weight of 24 inches and 2.8 pounds. Thirty eight percent of the Northern Pike sampled were longer than 24 inches and 4% were longer than 30 inches. Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing on May 16, 2017. A total of 105 Largemouth Bass were captured in 1.3 hours of sampling for a catch rate of 83.0/hour. This is about two times greater than the Sauk Rapids area daytime average of 43.3/hour. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 4 to 21 inches with an average length of 13 inches. The Bluegill catch was similar to previous surveys and within the range of expected values for the lake class. Bluegill ranged in length from 3 to 8 inches with an average length of four inches. The trap net catch of Black Crappie was similar to previous surveys, but below the expected range of values for the lake class. Black Crappie ranged in length from 5 to 13 inches with an average length of seven inches. No Yellow Perch were sampled in the gill nets and only one was sampled during the whole survey.Yellow Perch have been on the decline since the historical high of 62.3/gill net in 1992. Other species sampled during the survey included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin (dogfish), Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed and Yellow Bullhead.

A survey of near shore fish species was conducted on Mary Lake from June 30th to July 5th, 2017 by the Sauk Rapids Fisheries Office. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the shoreline and each site was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining, except two sites where soft sediments and dense vegetation prevented the use of a seine. Nearshore sampling captured 13 species of fish, including three tolerant species (Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish) and no intolerant species. The near shore fish survey data is combined with gill net and trap net data from an August 2017 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score based on expectations for similar lakes. This survey is contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with the MN Pollution Control Agency. Mary Lake is located within the Mississippi River - St. Cloud Watershed.

A survey of near shore fish species was conducted on Mary Lake from June 30th to July 5th, 2017 by the Sauk Rapids Fisheries Office. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the shoreline and each site was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining, except two sites where soft sediments and dense vegetation prevented the use of a seine. Nearshore sampling captured 13 species of fish, including three tolerant species (Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish) and no intolerant species. The near shore fish survey data is combined with gill net and trap net data from an August 2017 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score based on expectations for similar lakes. This survey is contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with the MN Pollution Control Agency. Mary Lake is located within the Mississippi River - St. Cloud Watershed.

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

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

Mary has a maximum depth of 102 feet and a mean depth of 35.1 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Mary is from 2017. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Yes — Mary has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.