Minnesota · Wright County
Mary Lake Fishing guide
Mary Lake is a 196-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota, reaching 102 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 5.9 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 6 times, most recently in 2017, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 9 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2016Fair numbers2per gill net18"Typical20"Biggest
Lengths measured · 11 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 11 fish
2017Lengths measured · 3 fish
2008Only 3 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Largemouth bassGood numbers53.6per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical21"Biggest
Lengths measured · 109 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 109 fish
2017Lengths measured · 60 fish
2008Northern pikeJust a few3.8per gill net23"Typical31"Biggest
Lengths measured · 24 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 24 fish
2017Lengths measured · 26 fish
2008BluegillFair numbers28.7per trap net4"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 320 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 320 fish
2017Lengths measured · 597 fish
2008CrappieJust a few0.4per trap net6"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 20 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 20 fish
2017Lengths measured · 47 fish
2008Rates 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 Mary 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.
- 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. On a lake that drops to 102 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. On a lake that drops to 102 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
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 | Walleye | Northern pike |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 21" | 20" | 31" |
| 2008 | 19" | 20" | 34" |
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 · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DNR stocking records
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Stocked |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Walleye | 27 fingerlings · 69 yearlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2017 survey
Mary Lake is a 209 acre general development lake located two miles north of Maple Lake in central Wright County. A public access is located on the northwest side of the lake with room for 4 - 6 truck/trailer rigs. Mary Lake has a maximum depth of 102 feet and water clarity is fair with an average summer Secchi reading of about seven feet. Adequate dissolved oxygen was present to a depth of 16 feet during the week of the survey. A standard lake survey was conducted in 2017 to monitor changes in the fishery from the last survey completed in 2008. In addition to the standard lake survey, an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) survey was conducted in August.
Emergent and floating-leaf vegetation covered a fifth of the lakes surface area and a majority of the shoreline in July. Cattail and white waterlily were the primary species. Submerged vegetation was not surveyed in 2017, but Coontail and Eurasian watermilfoil were the dominant species found during the 2008 survey.
Read the full DNR narrative
Walleye were stocked about every other year from 1964 2016; however since stocking was not as successful as hoped it was discontinued after 2016. The catch of Walleye (2.0/gill net) was within the historical range of 0.5 to 3.8/gill net and above the first quartile value for Lake Class 24. Twelve Walleye were sampled and ranged from 12.4 to 20.2 inches with a mean length of 17.5 inches.
The catch of Northern Pike was similar from that of 2008 and within the expected range of values for similar lakes. Pike ranged in length from 21 to 31 inches with an average length and weight of 24 inches and 2.8 pounds. Thirty eight percent of the Northern Pike sampled were longer than 24 inches and 4% were longer than 30 inches.
Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing on May 16, 2017. A total of 105 Largemouth Bass were captured in 1.3 hours of sampling for a catch rate of 83.0/hour. This is about two times greater than the Sauk Rapids area daytime average of 43.3/hour. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 4 to 21 inches with an average length of 13 inches.
The Bluegill catch was similar to previous surveys and within the range of expected values for the lake class. Bluegill ranged in length from 3 to 8 inches with an average length of four inches. The trap net catch of Black Crappie was similar to previous surveys, but below the expected range of values for the lake class. Black Crappie ranged in length from 5 to 13 inches with an average length of seven inches.
No Yellow Perch were sampled in the gill nets and only one was sampled during the whole survey.Yellow Perch have been on the decline since the historical high of 62.3/gill net in 1992.
Other species sampled during the survey included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin (dogfish), Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed and Yellow Bullhead.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Mary Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Mary 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
- Mary Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Mary Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Upper Maple Lake · 633 ac · 1.7 mi
- Somers Lake · 151 ac · 1.9 mi
- Mink Lake · 280 ac · 2.2 mi
- Millstone Lake · 200 ac · 2.4 mi
- Ramsey Lake · 317 ac · 2.9 mi
- Sullivan Lake · 71 ac · 3.1 mi
- Cedar Lake · 790 ac · 3.6 mi
- Silver Lake · 83 ac · 4 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Mary Lake?
Mary Lake reaches 102 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 35.1 ft; about 42% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Mary Lake?
Mary Lake covers 196 acres with about 2.4 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Mary Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Mary Lake average 5.9 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Mary Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2017) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Mary Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2016.
Does Mary Lake have a public access?
Yes. Mary Lake has one public access site: Mary Lake (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in Mary Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 21"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2008.
When was Mary Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Mary Lake in 2017, the most recent of 6 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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