Lake Winona

How big is Lake Winona?

How deep is Lake Winona?

What kind of fish can you catch in Lake Winona?

What are the closest cities to Lake Winona?

Are there boat launches on Lake Winona?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lake Winona?

Lake Winona is located within the city limits of Alexandria. It has a surface area of 213 acres, maximum depth of 9.0 feet, and estimated average depth near 5.0 feet. The lake and much of the watershed exist within an urban or suburban land use environment. Recreational uses are currently impaired due to nutrient enrichment. Primary sources of excessive phosphorus include stormwater runoff from the City of Alexandria and treated wastewater effluents from the Alexandria Lakes Areas Sanitary District treatment plant. Water transparency measurements during summer months typically do not exceed 2.0 feet due to algae blooms.

A standardized fish community assessment was completed June 29-July 1, 2015, to determine diversity of fishes present, estimate abundance of gamefishes, and assess fishing potential of Lake Winona. Survey gear and effort included two gill nets, six trap nets, and electrofishing to better sample Largemouth Bass.

Due to harsh habitat conditions, the greatest total weight of fishes captured was comprised of tolerant fishes, namely White Suckers, Common Carp, and Black Bullheads. Only one Largemouth Bass was captured during the electrofishing survey. No Northern Pike were captured. Very poor water clarity and limited aquatic vegetation diminish feeding efficiency of these sight-feeding predators.

Lake Winona can offer fair fishing opportunities. Black Crappies proved to be very abundant. Both gill net and trap net catches exceeded expectations for similar basins. The crappie population sample was made up of six age groups. Lengths of captured crappies ranged from 3.8 to 10.2 inches. Average length of captures was 7.8 inches. Fishing quality should improve as cohorts of a strong 2010 year class approach 10.0 inches in length.

Bluegill catch rates describe a modest population density. Most captures were young fish, ages 1 and 4, so fishing quality attributes were not great. Bluegills do appear to grow well and if longevity increases, some proportion of the bluegill population should attain 8.0 inches in length.

Two Walleyes were captured in gill nets. Both fish exceeded 18.0 inches in length. More Walleyes were observed during the electrofishing survey. Walleye are not stocked into Lake Winona. Their presence is likely the result of emigration from connected lakes Agnes and Henry.

Yellow Perch catches were high, but average length was 6.3 inches. No harvestable size perch were measured at time of the survey.

There is a public boat access located near the southwest end of the lake off Melvina Lane SW. Anglers utilizing powered watercraft are reminded that operation is restricted to "slow, no visible wake".

What is the average air temp for Lake Winona?

Are there any state parks near Lake Winona?