Nixon

Nixon Lake is a small 56-acre natural environmental lake located 4 miles south of the town of Clearwater in Wright County. The lake has a small watershed, good water quality, and a diverse aquatic plant community. It has a maximum depth of 67 feet and an average summer water clarity depth of 10 feet. The lake is mostly undeveloped and is surrounded by wetlands and an extensive cattail fringe along much of the shoreline. A public access is located on the north side of the lake. A standard lake survey was completed in 2021 to update fisheries data last collected in 2001. Nixon Lake has high numbers of small pike although pike over 30 inches are present and can be counted on as a bonus. Northern Pike sampled ranged in length from 13 to 35 inches with an average length and weight of 21 inches and 2 pounds. Twenty percent of the pike caught were longer than 26 inches and 5% were longer than 30 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small pike (26 inches) to help produce a larger size structure. Largemouth Bass abundance is low and below average for Sauk Rapids Area lakes. Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing on May 4, 2021. Only 12 bass were captured and ranged in length from 10 to 15 inches with an average length of 13 inches. Panfish are present in low abundance. Crappie abundance has always been low and few Black Crappie were sampled again this year. Crappie sampled ranged in length from 6 to 10 inches and averaged 8 inches. Bluegill abundance has decreased significantly to below average numbers for the lake. Bluegill sampled ranged in length from 3 to 8 inches with an average length of 6 inches. Yellow perch abundance has historically been low and this year was no different. Only three perch were caught and were 6 inches long. Other species sampled included: Bowfin (Dogfish), Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Bullhead. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Fish harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of aquatic invasive species (AIS) can all adversely affect fish populations. AIS can be moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Sauk Rapids Area Fisheries office.

Nixon Lake is a small 56-acre natural environmental lake located 4 miles south of the town of Clearwater in Wright County. The lake has a small watershed, good water quality, and a diverse aquatic plant community. It has a maximum depth of 67 feet and an average summer water clarity depth of 10 feet. The lake is mostly undeveloped and is surrounded by wetlands and an extensive cattail fringe along much of the shoreline. A public access is located on the north side of the lake. A standard lake survey was completed in 2021 to update fisheries data last collected in 2001. Nixon Lake has high numbers of small pike although pike over 30 inches are present and can be counted on as a bonus. Northern Pike sampled ranged in length from 13 to 35 inches with an average length and weight of 21 inches and 2 pounds. Twenty percent of the pike caught were longer than 26 inches and 5% were longer than 30 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small pike (26 inches) to help produce a larger size structure. Largemouth Bass abundance is low and below average for Sauk Rapids Area lakes. Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing on May 4, 2021. Only 12 bass were captured and ranged in length from 10 to 15 inches with an average length of 13 inches. Panfish are present in low abundance. Crappie abundance has always been low and few Black Crappie were sampled again this year. Crappie sampled ranged in length from 6 to 10 inches and averaged 8 inches. Bluegill abundance has decreased significantly to below average numbers for the lake. Bluegill sampled ranged in length from 3 to 8 inches with an average length of 6 inches. Yellow perch abundance has historically been low and this year was no different. Only three perch were caught and were 6 inches long. Other species sampled included: Bowfin (Dogfish), Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Bullhead. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Fish harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of aquatic invasive species (AIS) can all adversely affect fish populations. AIS can be moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Sauk Rapids Area Fisheries office.

Nixon Lake is located four miles south of the town of Clearwater in Wright County. The lake is 56 acres in size and has a maximum depth of 67 feet. Wetlands and cattail fringe surround most of the lake and a small watershed with limited development contributes to good water quality. The plant community is diverse and abundant and the fishery is composed of northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish. A public access is located on the north side of the lake.Northern pike were larger and more abundant than expected compared to similar lakes in Minnesota. Both catch rate and size have increased since the last survey in 1988. Average length and weight were 21.7 inches and 2.7 pounds and the largest individual captured was 31.7 inches. Pike growth was average compared to other populations statewide. Largemouth bass were less abundant than other lakes in the Montrose area and most fish captured were small and slow-growing. Average length was 10.1 inches and the largest bass caught was 16.2 inches long.Bluegill size and numbers were in the expected range for this lake type. Average length was 5.4 inches and the largest bluegill caught was 7.5 inches long and estimated to be 9 years old. Very few black crappie were caught and crappies were rare in previous surveys as well. Yellow perch were less abundant than expected compared to similar lakes and small; all perch caught in 2001 were between 5 and 6 inches long. Nixon Lake will likely retain good water quality and plant diversity if development remains limited. Land owners can help by retaining native vegetation along the lake and in the watershed to reduce run-off. Anglers can improve the fishery by selectively harvesting smaller pike (24 inches or less) and releasing larger pike and bass.

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

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

Nixon has a maximum depth of 67 feet and a mean depth of 14.4 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Nixon is from 2021.

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