Minnesota · Wright County
Waverly Lake Fishing guide
Waverly Lake is a 494-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota, reaching 70.5 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 8.1 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2025Good numbers4.1per gill net16"Typical26"Biggest
Lengths measured · 40 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 40 fish
2024Lengths measured · 19 fish
2019Lengths measured · 38 fish
2014Lengths measured · 59 fish
2004Largemouth bassOne of the best around133per hr (electrofishing)11"Typical19"Biggest
Lengths measured · 270 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 270 fish
2024Lengths measured · 311 fish
2019Lengths measured · 66 fish
2014Lengths measured · 106 fish
2004No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeGood numbers11.9per gill net22"Typical34"Biggest
Lengths measured · 107 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 107 fish
2024Lengths measured · 76 fish
2019Lengths measured · 64 fish
2014Lengths measured · 41 fish
2004BluegillOne of the best around110.8per trap net6"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 1113 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 1113 fish
2024Lengths measured · 635 fish
2019Lengths measured · 61 fish
2014Lengths measured · 805 fish
2004CrappieJust a few6.7per trap net8"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 176 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 176 fish
2024Lengths measured · 47 fish
2019Lengths measured · 31 fish
2014Lengths measured · 126 fish
2004Yellow perchOne of the best around35.2per gill net6"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 317 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 317 fish
2024Lengths measured · 75 fish
2019Lengths measured · 121 fish
2014Lengths measured · 439 fish
2004No recent survey rating.
Rates 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 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.
- 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 70.5 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 70.5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19" | 26" | 34" |
| 2019 | 20" | 25" | 35" |
| 2014 | 20" | 28" | 36" |
| 2004 | 19" | 27" | 33" |
| 1994 | 19" | 27" | 32" |
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
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
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 · Trolling
Muskie Trolling (big cranks)
8–10" large diving crankbait rated for the target depth
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 141,132 fry · 1,026 fingerlings · 167 yearlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 143,945 fry · 3,649 fingerlings |
| 2021 | Walleye | 1,354 fingerlings |
| 2019 | Walleye | 1,160 fingerlings · 50 adults |
| 2017 | Walleye | 3,884 fingerlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2024 survey
Waverly Lake is a 485-acre lake located in southern Wright County and directly north of the city of Waverly. There are two public accesses as well as a city park located on the south end of the lake. Waverly Lake is a fertile, hard water lake that experiences heavy algal blooms during mid to late summer. Water clarity has averaged about 10 feet over the past 10 years; however, it was only 3.4 feet during this survey. Land and lakeshore property owners within the watershed can help improve water quality by using best management practices that reduce run-off and nutrient input into the lake. The lake is highly developed and is a popular destination for aquatic recreation and angling. Waverly Lake was listed as infested with zebra mussels in 2019 and this infestation may be one of the reasons why water clarity has been trending upward. A standard lake survey was conducted in 2024 using boat electrofishing, gillnets, and trap nets to survey popular game species last sampled in 2019.
Largemouth Bass were surveyed at night via boat electrofishing on May 16, 2024. Largemouth Bass catches continue to be high with a catch rate of 133/hr, which is nearly double the Sauk Rapids area management goal for nighttime electrofishing (75/hr). Two hundred sixty-four bass were sampled and ranged in length from six to 19 inches with an average length of 12 inches. Anglers should have good opportunities to catch quality-sized Largemouth Bass as 44% were longer than 12 inches and 18% were longer than 15 inches.
Read the full DNR narrative
Waverly Lake is primarily managed for Walleye and has been stocked with either fry or fingerlings during odd-numbered years since 1985. This strategy produced relatively high Walleye numbers in the 1980s and 90's, but Walleye catches have since normalized to around 4/net. The Walleye gill net catch in 2024 (4.1/net) was higher than 2019 (1.9/net) and back within the range of expected values for the lake. Walleye sampled ranged in length from five to 27 inches, with an average length and weight of 16 inches and 2.0 pounds. Growth rates of Walleye in Waverly Lake were relatively fast, taking only three years to reach 15 inches.
The Northern Pike abundance has continued to increase from previous surveys with a catch rate of 11.9/net, which is well above the range of expected values for lakes similar to Waverly. Northern Pike ranged in length from 15 to 35 inches, with an average length and weight of 23 inches and 3.0 pounds. Anglers can expect decent pike action with a chance at catching a few 26 + inch pike as 21% of the catch were 26 inches or longer with 5% being longer than 30 inches.
Waverly Lake has historically supported high numbers of Bluegill and the 2024 survey continued that trend. The trap net catch of Bluegill in 2024 was high (110.8/net) and well above the range of expected values for the lake and the highest since 1989. Bluegill lengths ranged from three to nine inches with an average length of six inches. Sixty-six percent of the fish sampled were six inches or longer and only 3% were longer than 8.0 inches. Anglers travelling to Waverly Lake could expect to catch a fair number of Bluegill although they will have to do some sorting and likely keep some sub-8-inch fish if they want a fish fry.
Black Crappie catches from both gillnets and trap nets were above average for the lake and the highest since 1984. Black Crappie sampled ranged in length from three to 12 inches with and average length of eight inches. Fifty-two percent of Black Crappie sampled were longer than eight inches and 21% were longer than 10 inches. Anglers looking to target Black Crappie may want to give Waverly Lake a try given the results of this survey.
The Yellow Perch catch in 2024 (35.2/net) was higher than 2019 and above the range of expected values for the lake class. Perch sampled ranged in length from four to nine inches with an average length of six inches. Anglers should not expect to catch large Yellow Perch as they do not grow large enough to keep although they are an important forage species for popular game species such as Northern Pike and Walleye.
Other species sampled in low numbers during the survey included: Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Waverly Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on 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
- Waverly Lake, Waterfront Park (trailer launch)
- Waverly Lake (carry-in)
- Big Waverly Lake Fishing Pier (fishing pier)
DNR bathymetry
Waverly Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Little Waverly Lake · 338 ac · 1.2 mi
- Dutch Lake · 162 ac · 4.2 mi
- Emma Lake · 189 ac · 4.7 mi
- Howard Lake · 745 ac · 4.9 mi
- Ann Lake · 375 ac · 5 mi
- Goose Lake · 52 ac · 5.2 mi
- Deer Lake · 171 ac · 5.6 mi
- Crawford Lake · 110 ac · 5.7 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Waverly Lake?
Waverly Lake reaches 70.5 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 25.5 ft; about 29% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Waverly Lake?
Waverly Lake covers 494 acres with about 4.4 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Waverly Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Waverly Lake average 8.1 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Waverly Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2024) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish.
Is Waverly Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.
Does Waverly Lake have a public access?
Yes. Waverly Lake has 3 public access sites, including Waverly Lake, Waterfront Park (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in 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 Waverly Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Waverly Lake in 2024, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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