Minnesota · Wright County
Little Waverly Lake Fishing guide
Little Waverly Lake sits in Wright County, Minnesota, and covers 338 acres, reaching 12 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 2.9 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassGood numbers58.6per hr (electrofishing)15"Typical19"Biggest
Lengths measured · 179 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 158 fish
2024Lengths measured · 21 fish
2024Lengths measured · 101 fish
2014Lengths measured · 37 fish
2004Northern pikeFair numbers9.7per gill net19"Typical35"Biggest
Lengths measured · 68 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 59 fish
2024Lengths measured · 9 fish
2024Only 9 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 21 fish
2014Lengths measured · 56 fish
2004BluegillJust a few11.1per trap net6"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 229 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 197 fish
2024Lengths measured · 32 fish
2024Lengths measured · 12 fish
2014Lengths measured · 159 fish
2004CrappieJust a few5.3per trap net4"Typical11"Biggest
Lengths measured · 252 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 212 fish
2024Lengths measured · 40 fish
2024Lengths measured · 94 fish
2014Lengths measured · 138 fish
2004Yellow perchExcellent numbers13.7per gill net6"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 90 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 89 fish
2024Lengths measured · 1 fish
2024Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 8 fish
2014Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 53 fish
2004Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Little Waverly Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. In 2.9 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze. A 12-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. In 2.9 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 12-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Largemouth bass | Northern pike | Walleye |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19" | 35" | 13" |
| 2014 | 20" | 28" | 22" |
| 2004 | 19" | 32" | 17" |
| 1994 | 16" | 30" | 21" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Jigs & bladed
Skirted Casting Jig + Craw Trailer
3.5–4" craw-style trailer on a skirted casting/flipping jig
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Jigs & bladed
Spinnerbait
3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades
Walleye · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2024 survey
Little Waverly Lake is located just west of Waverly Lake within the city limits of Waverly in southern Wright County. It has a surface area of 330 acres and a maximum depth of 12 feet. The watershed is large and dominated by agriculture. Twelve Mile Creek runs through the lake and connects to the North Fork Crow River. Water quality is poor with a 10-yr average summer water clarity of 3.3 feet. Because the lake is shallow and nutrient rich, a winter aeration system is often used to prevent winterkill. Aquatic vegetation is sparse and shallow. The lake was listed as infested with Eurasian watermilfoil in 1995 and zebra mussels in 2021. There is one county owned public access on the lake with a dock and room for up to 10 trailers. A standard survey was completed in 2024 to update fisheries data last collected in 2014.
The Northern Pike catch in 2024 was higher than in 2014 and exceeded the range of expected values for lakes similar to Little Waverly. Lengths ranged from 12 to 32 inches with an average length and weight of 19 inches and 2 pounds. Only three percent of the pike sampled were longer than 26 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small pike (under 22 inches) and release the larger ones to help achieve a more balanced fish community and to improve growth rates.
Read the full DNR narrative
There is an excellent Largemouth Bass population with a wide range of sizes available to anglers including fish up to 20 inches with an average length of 15 inches. Catch rates of bass were similar to the previous survey and 56% of the fish were longer than 15 inches.
Walleye fry have been stocked in Little Waverly in the past with little success. While no Walleye were sampled in 2024, a few Walleyes have been sampled over the years. Little Waverly is connected to Waverly Lake via a culvert and short channel. Since Waverly Lake is consistently stocked with Walleye fingerlings it is likely that some of them emigrate into Little Waverly.
Black Crappie abundance in gill nets and trap nets were both higher than 2014. Although crappie up to 12 inches were sampled most of the fish sampled were small, averaging five inches in length. The Bluegill catch improved from the previous survey as well and was near the lakes long-term average. Bluegill lengths ranged from four to eight inches with an average length of six inches.
The Yellow Perch catch was higher than 2014 and near the long-term average for the lake. Improvements in the number of perch should help provide a source of forage for the expanding Northern Pike population and already abundant Largemouth Bass population.
A single 18-inch Channel Catfish was sampled in 2024, compared to 12 in 2014. Channel Catfish are abundant in the Crow River and have immigrated into Little Waverly, Waverly, and other connected lakes in recent years. A couple of other significant changes observed during this survey were Black Bullhead abundance increased substantially over the previous survey (2014) and was above the long-term average for the lake as well as a huge year class of Bigmouth Buffalo were sampled. Prior to 2024 only one Bigmouth Buffalo had been sampled in gill nets. This year almost 200 were sampled with most being less than 10 inches long.
Other species caught in the survey included: Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Little Waverly Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Little Waverly Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Little Waverly Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Little Waverly Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Waverly Lake · 494 ac · 1.2 mi
- Dutch Lake · 162 ac · 3.1 mi
- Howard Lake · 745 ac · 3.7 mi
- Emma Lake · 189 ac · 3.8 mi
- Ann Lake · 375 ac · 4 mi
- Mary Lake · 190 ac · 5.3 mi
- Dog Lake · 97 ac · 5.3 mi
- Ida Lake · 85 ac · 5.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Little Waverly Lake?
Little Waverly Lake reaches 12 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 6.7 ft; about 100% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Little Waverly Lake?
Little Waverly Lake covers 338 acres with about 3.8 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Little Waverly Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Little Waverly Lake average 2.9 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Little Waverly Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2024) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish.
Is Little Waverly Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Little Waverly Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Little Waverly Lake have a public access?
Yes. Little Waverly Lake has one public access site: Little Waverly Lake (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in Little Waverly Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 19"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1994.
When was Little Waverly Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Little Waverly Lake in 2024, the most recent of 8 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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