Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 30, 2007
Species recorded at Silver Lake
13 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Silver Lake
No stocking record for Silver Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Getting on the water
Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 30, 2007 caught 1.00 northern pike per gill net 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 improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2007-07-30 (Standard Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2007-07-30 (Standard Survey)
19 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 48.00 | 9–17 in 2007-07-30 | 0.67 lb |
| Golden Redhorse | 23.57 | 6–14 in 2007-07-30 | 0.68 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 19.50 | 2–12 in 2007-07-30 | 0.61 lb |
| White Crappie | 15.08 | 8–11 in 2007-07-30 | 0.21 lb |
| Black Crappie | 12.76 | 6–11 in 2007-07-30 | 0.19 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.
White Sucker
Golden Redhorse
Largemouth Bass
White Crappie
From the 2007-07-30 survey
Silver Lake is a 34-acre impoundment of the South Fork Zumbro River located within the city of Rochester, MN. The impoundment is created by a dam, owned and operated by Rochester Public Utilities (RPU). Water quality in the reservoir is affected by sediment deposition from upstream sources and urban runoff. Water…
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
Common questions
What fish are in Silver Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 30, 2007 caught 1.00 northern pike per gill net at Silver Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 13 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Silver Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Silver Lake is dated July 30, 2007. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Silver Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Silver Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Silver Lake fishes?
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 improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Silver Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Silver Lake
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