Augusta

Augusta Lake is a 177 acre lake located on the Clearwater River near the town of South Haven in Wright County. The lake has a maximum depth of 82 feet and good water clarity; Secchi depth was 7.0 feet in early July and MPCA data show a ten year summer average of 6.6 feet. The watershed is large and land use is primarily agriculture with some pasture. There is no public boat access, but the lake can be reached from nearby Clearwater Lake. Anglers can expect good fishing for Northern Pike and panfish. The last survey was in 2014. Emergent plants are common in the lake, primarily cattails. Submerged vegetation is abundant, but has not been surveyed recently. Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels (invasive species) are present and boaters should take extra precautions to prevent their spread to other lakes. Northern Pike numbers were above the expected range of values for lakes similar to Augusta and much higher than 2015. Lengths ranged from 17.6 inches to 32.0 inches with an average length and weight of 22.4 inches and 2.4 pounds. Eleven percent of Northern Pike were 26 inches or longer. Largemouth Bass were sampled by day time electrofishing on June 3rd. The catch (21.2/hour) was well below the Sauk Rapids average (43/hour), but similar to 2014 (25/hour). Bass size was good; lengths ranged from 7.1 to 19.7 inches with an average length of 14.4 inches. Fifty percent were 15 inches or longer. Walleye are not stocked in Augusta Lake but likely immigrate from Clearwater Lake. The Walleye catch was low, but within the expected range of values for lakes similar to Augusta and close to past results. Lengths ranged from 14.4 to 21.9 inches with an average length and weight of 19.5 inches and 2.4 pounds. Bluegill numbers were higher than 2014 but within the expected range of values for similar lakes. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.2 to 8.7 inches with an average length of 5.2 inches. Two percent of Bluegill caught were eight inches or longer. Black Crappie numbers were higher than 2014 and within the expected range of values. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 3.2 to 13.5 inches with an average length of 7.9 inches. Forty-six percent of Black Crappie were 10 inches or longer. The Yellow Perch catch rate was much higher than 2014 but within the expected range of values for lakes similar to Augusta. Lengths ranged from 4.9 to 7.6 inches with an average length of 5.6 inches. It seems surprising that both perch and pike numbers have increased since 2014. Other species captured included: Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Channel Catfish, Cisco (Tullibee), Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Augusta Lake is a 177 acre lake located on the Clearwater River near the town of South Haven in Wright County. The lake has a maximum depth of 82 feet and good water clarity; Secchi depth was 7.0 feet in early July and MPCA data show a ten year summer average of 6.6 feet. The watershed is large and land use is primarily agriculture with some pasture. There is no public boat access, but the lake can be reached from nearby Clearwater Lake. Anglers can expect good fishing for Northern Pike and panfish. The last survey was in 2014. Emergent plants are common in the lake, primarily cattails. Submerged vegetation is abundant, but has not been surveyed recently. Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels (invasive species) are present and boaters should take extra precautions to prevent their spread to other lakes. Northern Pike numbers were above the expected range of values for lakes similar to Augusta and much higher than 2015. Lengths ranged from 17.6 inches to 32.0 inches with an average length and weight of 22.4 inches and 2.4 pounds. Eleven percent of Northern Pike were 26 inches or longer. Largemouth Bass were sampled by day time electrofishing on June 3rd. The catch (21.2/hour) was well below the Sauk Rapids average (43/hour), but similar to 2014 (25/hour). Bass size was good; lengths ranged from 7.1 to 19.7 inches with an average length of 14.4 inches. Fifty percent were 15 inches or longer. Walleye are not stocked in Augusta Lake but likely immigrate from Clearwater Lake. The Walleye catch was low, but within the expected range of values for lakes similar to Augusta and close to past results. Lengths ranged from 14.4 to 21.9 inches with an average length and weight of 19.5 inches and 2.4 pounds. Bluegill numbers were higher than 2014 but within the expected range of values for similar lakes. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.2 to 8.7 inches with an average length of 5.2 inches. Two percent of Bluegill caught were eight inches or longer. Black Crappie numbers were higher than 2014 and within the expected range of values. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 3.2 to 13.5 inches with an average length of 7.9 inches. Forty-six percent of Black Crappie were 10 inches or longer. The Yellow Perch catch rate was much higher than 2014 but within the expected range of values for lakes similar to Augusta. Lengths ranged from 4.9 to 7.6 inches with an average length of 5.6 inches. It seems surprising that both perch and pike numbers have increased since 2014. Other species captured included: Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Channel Catfish, Cisco (Tullibee), Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Lake Augusta is a 177 acre lake located along the Clearwater River in Wright County. Lake Augusta can be accessed from Clearwater Lake which has two public boat accesses on its west side. In 2014, water clarity ranged from 4 to 9.5 feet in mid to late summer. Oxygen was adequate for sport fish to a depth of 18 feet. Lake Augusta has a moderate diversity of aquatic plants growing in sparse beds around the lake out to a depth of 14 feet. Eurasian water milfoil and curly leaf pondweed (both invasive aquatic species) are found in moderate abundance throughout the lake, so the potential for spreading these species into and out of the lake is high. Anglers and boaters should take extra precautions to prevent the further spread of all invasive species. The day time electrofishing catch rate of Largemouth Bass in 2014 (25/ hour) was lower than the average value for Montrose Area lakes, (38/hour) but higher than the night time rate observed in 2005 (16/hour). Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 11.1 to 18.5 inches with an average length of 14.6 inches. The size structure of the Largemouth Bass population in Augusta is well balanced and the fish are in good condition. Of the catchable size Largemouth Bass, 89% were greater than 12 inches and 46% were greater than 15 inches. The Largemouth Bass population in adjacent Clearwater Lake has a reputation for quality fishing and anglers can expect good fishing for largemouth in Augusta as well. The Northern Pike gill net catch in 2014 was lower than that observed in 2005 but remained above average compared to similar lakes. Northern Pike abundance has decreased since 2005, although the average size has improved. The Northern Pike sampled in 2014 ranged in length from 17.4 to 33.0 inches and averaged 23.2 inches and 2.7 pounds. Forty three percent of Northern Pike sampled were longer than 24 inches. The Walleye gill net catch increased from 2005 and was near the average for similar lakes. Walleye ranged in length from 15.4 to 29.1 inches and averaged 20.6 inches and 2.6 pounds. No Walleye are stocked in Lake Augusta, but fish likely move into the lake from adjoining Clearwater Lake. After several years of successful Walleye stocking in Clearwater Lake it appears that Walleye have become more abundant in Lake Augusta as well. Bluegill was the dominant species sampled with trap nets however, the catch rate was below the expected range for lakes similar to Augusta and the lowest recorded since 1979. Bluegill ranged in length from 3.2 inches to 8.3 inches with a mean length of 6.5 inches. The size structure of Bluegill in Augusta was good as 48% of the fish sampled were longer than 7 inches. The catch of Black Crappie was similar to 2005 and within the range of expected values. Black Crappies ranged in length from 4.2 to 11.2 inches with an average length of 9.0 inches. Sixty nine percent of the Black Crappie sampled were longer than 9 inches. Other species sampled included: Bowfin (dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Hybrid and Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Tullibee (Cisco), Rock Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch. The protection of water quality and habitat is critical in maintaining and improving fish and wildlife populations. Unfortunately, human activities often negatively impact our lakes. Fertilized turf grass lawns and failing septic systems along with the removal of shoreline and aquatic vegetation, mowing to the shore, and installing sand blanket beaches result in destabilized shorelines, uncontrolled erosion, and increased run off, contributing excess nutrients and sediment to the lake and degrading water quality and habitat. By understanding the cumulative impacts of our actions and taking steps to avoid or minimize them, we can help insure that our water resources can be enjoyed into the future.

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

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

Augusta has a maximum depth of 82 feet and a mean depth of 24.9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Augusta is from 2019.

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