Silver Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota208 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Silver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 23 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Silver Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 208.41 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 17, 2015 caught 2.20 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Silver Lake. DNR survey details →
Silver Lake is a 208-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 23 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including bluegill, largemouth bass, and pumpkinseed. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Silver Lake covers about 210 acres in Crow Wing County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 13, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Silver Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Silver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 13
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Silver Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Silver Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Silver Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 17 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Silver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Silver Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 23 field readings (2016–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Silver Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 17, 2015 caught 2.20 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Silver Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Silver Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-08-17 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2015-08-17 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 57.32 | 3–7 in 2015-06-08 | 0.15 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 20.57 | 7–11 in 2015-06-08 | 0.37 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 10.09 | 5–12 in 2015-06-08 | 0.29 lb |
| Northern Pike | 10.07 | 9–34 in 2015-06-08 | 1.91 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 8.97 | 3–8 in 2015-06-08 | 0.1 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Brown Bullhead
Yellow Bullhead
Northern Pike
From the 2015-08-17 survey
Silver Lake is a 214 acre lake located four miles northeast of Merrifield in Crow Wing County. Silver has a maximum depth of 23'. A nearshore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. Ten 100' long sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lakeshore. Each station was…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Silver Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SilverFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SilverPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
23 ft
Surface area
208 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
93%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,194 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Silver LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Silver Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Silver Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Silver Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Silver Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Silver Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 13
Earliest Mar 24, 2000 · Latest Apr 28, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 25
Earliest Oct 29, 1988 · Latest Dec 25, 1990
Most recent ice-out
Apr 28
2022
39 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Silver Lake
Where is Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 208.41 acres.
Is Silver Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 23 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake has a maximum depth of 23 feet. The lake covers 208.41 acres.
What fish are in Silver Lake?
- Fish species found in Silver Lake include bluegill, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, sunfish, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Silver Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Silver Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 17, 2015 caught 2.20 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Silver Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Silver Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Silver Lake thaw?
- Silver Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 13. Ice typically forms around Nov 25. The open water season is approximately 226 days.
Are there boat ramps on Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Silver Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA7 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate