Achman Lake

How big is Achman Lake?

How deep is Achman Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Achman Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Achman Lake?

Achman Lake is a 47-acre natural environment lake located two miles east of the City of Avon in Stearns County. Although the lake lies within view of Interstate 94 most of the lakeshore is undeveloped. The lake has good water clarity (secchi depth of 12 feet). No public access is available, but the northeast shore is popular for shore angling. No stocking has taken place and the last survey was in 1987.

There seemed to be few differences between the most recent surveys. Northern pike, largemouth bass and bluegill were abundant and anglers should find good opportunities for all three. Black crappie, on the other hand, were not as common. Other species of fish present were hybrid and pumpkinseed sunfish and yellow perch.

Northern pike were abundant, but the average weight was low at 1.6 pounds. Northern pike sampled by gill nets ranged in length from 17 to 31 inches, with an average length of 20 inches. Only one of 22 northern pike was larger than 24 inches.

Largemouth bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing for the first time ever on 22 May 2008. A total of 48 largemouth bass were sampled in 0.6 hour for a catch rate of 80 fish/hour. Largemouth bass ranged in length from six to 18 inches with an average length of 13 inches. Many larger fish were noted.

Trap net catches of bluegill were 30.2/net, which was nearly identical to the 1987 catch of 34.0/net. Bluegill ranged in length from three to 7.5 inches, with an average length of four inches. Growth was slower than the statewide average. It took six years for bluegill to attain a length over five inches.

Both the catch rates and sizes of black crappie were below the range of expected values for trap nets. Fish sampled ranged in length from four to 14 inches and it took four years for crappie to reach six inches in length.

Sixteen species of submersed aquatic plants were noted during a 2002 plant survey. Robbins pondweed, northern milfoil and largeleaf pondweed were the most abundant submersed species. Plants were found growing as deep as 21 feet. Many floatingleaf and emergent species were also noted, such as the relatively uncommon water shield. Curled pondweed was not found near the surface during a peak abundance survey on 16 June 2008 nor was it found in 2002.

What is the average air temp for Achman Lake?

Are there any state parks near Achman Lake?