Lake Mary

How big is Lake Mary?

How deep is Lake Mary?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lake Mary?

Are there topographical lake maps available Lake Mary?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Lake Mary (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Lake Mary

Are there boat launches on Lake Mary?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lake Mary?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Lake Mary?

Lake Mary is a large, popular fishing lake located four miles southwest of Alexandria. It has a surface area of 2,450 acres and shoreline length of 11.7 miles. Maximum depth is 40.0 feet. Average depth is 17.0. Water transparency has declined over the past two decades to average 6.2 feet during summer months. Algae blooms are common and can be anticipated after strong winds. Fortunately, such blooms are short-lived. Fish habitat conditions are changing to favor less vegetation-dependent gamefishes such as walleye and black crappie, but Lake Mary continues to support a well-rounded fishery.

Lake Mary is well known for quality walleye fishing. Walleyes are abundant. Walleye fry are stocked on an alternate-year basis to supplement natural reproduction. Gillnet catches during the 2013 survey averaged 10.0 walleyes/net. The population has a broad age distribution. Captures ranged from 8.0 to 27.4 inches in length, but averaged only 13.9 inches due to the relatively high proportion of young fish making up the population sample. On average, young walleyes grow to exceed 15.0 inches by age 4 and quickly recruit to the harvestable segment of the population.

Record black crappie catches occurred during the 2013 survey. Lengths of captures ranged from 3.7 to 12.2 inches. Multiple age groups were represented in the catch. Elevated catches were mostly attributable to establishment of a very strong year class in 2010. These three-year-old fish made up 90% of all crappies captured in trapnets. Average length at capture was 8.6 inches. Cohorts of this year class will grow to approach 10.0 inches in late 2014.

Largemouth bass, northern pike, and bluegill populations can be described as "moderate densities of medium-sized fish". Largemouth bass averaged 14.3 inches in length at capture. Thirty-seven percent of the electrofishing catch was 15.0 inches and larger. No 18.0-inch or larger bass were measured. Northern pike catches averaged a healthy 6.0 fish/gillnet. Length at capture ranged from 14.7 to 30.0 inches and averaged 20.4 inches. Most pike were young fish between three- and five-years-old. Six percent of the gillnet catch exceeded 28.0 inches. Size structure of the bluegill population sample was strongly influenced by establishment of a very strong year class in 2008. These age-5 captures comprised 67% of bluegill catch. Average size of captures was 6.8 inches. In contrast to preceding survey records, no sampled bluegill exceeded 8.0 inches in length. Based on past age and growth information, bluegills have potential to grow larger, but they face significant harvest pressure before reaching eight years of age.

Notes:
Zebra mussels were found in Lake Mary in 2013. Please drain all water from your boat and other containers to prevent transfer of this and other aquatic invasive species to other lakes.

Two public accesses are available. The access located on the north shore is relatively shallow and is not conducive to launching larger boats, especially during years with lower water levels.

What is the average air temp for Lake Mary?

Are there any state parks near Lake Mary?