Briggs Lake

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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 Briggs Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Briggs Lake

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Briggs, Julia, and Rush Lakes are located five miles north of the City of Clear Lake in northern Sherburne County. The lakes are connected by a navigable channel and together make up the Briggs Chain of Lakes. The lakes are shallow and eutrophic. Maximum depths range from 11 feet in Julia to 25 feet in Briggs. Walleye and Northern Pike are the primary managed species on the Briggs Chain with Walleye fry being stocked every other year since 1990 with relatively good success based on fall electrofishing results. Fish sampling in 2015 included bass electrofishing in May, a targeted Bluegill assessment in June, and a standard gill net and trap net survey in August.

These lakes are eutrophic and have relatively poor water quality and experience nuisance algal blooms throughout the summer. The immediate watershed surrounding the Briggs Chain is large (10,107 acres) and land use within the watershed is comprised of 33% cultivated crops, 28% forest, 18% open water, 14% hay/pasture, and 7%. Because of the large agricultural influence within the watershed water quality of these relatively shallow lakes is affected.

No aquatic plant survey was conducted in 2015; however in 2009 11 aquatic plant species were identified growing to a maximum depth of 5.5 feet. Curly leaf pondweed was not found in Rush Lake; however it was were observed growing in Briggs (4.6 acres) and Julia (1.2 acres) in the spring of 2015.

The Briggs Chain is connected to the Elk River through Briggs Creek and during periods of high water fish from the Elk River can move around the barrier on Rush Lake and into the chain of lakes. Catches of riverine species such as White Sucker, Shorthead Redhorse, and Smallmouth Bass reflect this connection. Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Common Carp, and Yellow Bullhead are known to be present as well.

The Walleye catch on the Briggs Chain of Lakes ranged from 5 10/gill net, which represents a decline from the record high catch rates observed in 2009 (8 11/gill net). Anglers have a wide range of sizes available to them as fish from 7 to 26 inches were recorded in the survey. Over half of the fish caught were between 12 and 20 inches in length. Although there appears to be some natural reproduction, spring fry stocking will continue to be used as a management strategy to sustain the population. Walleye grew quickly in the Briggs Chain, and reached a length of 14 inches by age two.

The Northern Pike catch was higher in 2015 than 2009, but the average size was smaller at two pounds or 20 inches in length. Only 10 percent of fish sampled were greater than 24 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest fish smaller than 22 inches and release the larger pike. This will help maintain a healthy predator/prey balance within the fish community. Yellow Perch numbers in 2015 were lower than 2009. Although not generally of much interest to anglers due to their small size, they are an important source of food for predators. Despite declines, catches of Yellow Perch in all three lakes remained within the range of expected values for similar lakes.

Both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass can be found in the Briggs Chain although Largemouth are more abundant. Quality fish up to 19 inches of both species have been documented however; the majority of bass sampled by electrofishing were between 14 to 15 inches long.

Panfish species in the Briggs Chain include Bluegill, Black Crappie, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed and White Crappie. While the Bluegill average size in the August survey was only about 6 inches, the spring survey showed that quality size Bluegill up to nearly 10 inches can be found. Seasonal differences in trap net catches for panfish related to size and abundance have to do with water temperatures and the completion of spawning. Generally catches are not as good in late summer due to the fact that larger mature fish move into deeper, cooler water where they are not sampled as well by trap nets that are set in shallow water near the shore. Crappies provide a popular fishing opportunity in the Briggs Chain and although both species are present, Black Crappies are more common than White Crappie based on survey results. While crappie can sometimes be difficult to catch in summer surveys, for the same reason mentioned previously for Bluegills, results from the 2015 survey suggest normal abundance for these types of lakes. Most of the crappies caught in the summer survey however, were less than 8 inches in length and will need a year or two of growth before they are of interest to most anglers.

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