Marie Lake

How big is Marie Lake?

How deep is Marie Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Marie Lake?

What are the closest cities to Marie Lake?

Are there boat launches on Marie Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Marie Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Marie Lake?

Lake Marie is a 147 acre lake located along the border of Wright and Stearns Counties, 2 miles northwest of the City of South Haven. The Stearns County Parks Department owns a public access located on the northeast side of the lake. Lake Marie and connecting Lake Louisa are reservoir lakes within Clearwater River and were formed by a dam on the outlet of Lake Marie. The Marie Lake watershed is 60,025 acres with land use consisting of 51% agriculture, 23% hay/pasture, 7% marsh/open water, 6% residential, and 13% forest. In 2014,Secchi readings ranged from 1.5 to 6 feet during July and August. Adequate oxygen was sampled to a depth of 14 feet. It has a moderate diversity of aquatic plants growing in sparse beds around the lake and curly-leaf pondweed was abundant in mid-June and covered 8% of lake surface area

Based on survey results, anglers can expect good fishing for Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and sunfish.
Due to their immediate connection, results of Largemouth Bass electrofishing on Lake Marie was combined with Lake Louisa. A total of 122 Largemouth Bass were sampled in 1.5 hours of day time electrofishing. This was over twice the daytime average catch rate for Montrose Area lakes (47.6/hr). Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 8.1 to 19.7 inches with an average length and weight of 13.9 inches and 1.7 pounds.

The catch of Northern Pike increased from the last survey conducted in 2005, but remained within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Lake Marie. Twenty six Northern Pike were sampled and ranged in length from 20.3 to 31.0 inches and averaged 24.6 inches and 3.6 pounds. Fifty two percent of Northern Pike sampled were longer than 24 inches. Few lakes in the area could be considered this good for pike fishing opportunities.

Lake Marie is not stocked with Walleye, but several were sampled during the survey. It is likely that fish migrate from upstream portions of the Clearwater River where they have been stocked before (Clear Lake, Betsy Lake, and Union Lake) and now reproduce naturally. Walleye sampled ranged in length from 17.8 to 28.5 inches and averaged 21.4 inches and 3.4 pounds. Based on the observed catch rates, anglers have the chance to catch an incidental Walleye in Lake Marie.

The Bluegill trap net catch was less than that observed in 2005 but was within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Bluegill ranged in length from 1.6 to 9.1 inches and averaged 6.7 inches and 0.3 pounds. Anglers can experience good fishing for Bluegill as 36% of the fish sampled were longer than 7 inches.

The Black Crappie trap net catch was lower than previous surveys but was also within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Black Crappie sampled ranged in length from 4.1 to 11.8 inches with an average length and weight of 9.1 inches and 0.5 pounds. Although trap net catches were lower than in the past large numbers of adult crappie were observed in early May while electrofishing for Largemouth Bass.

Channel Catfish were again sampled in low numbers (2 fish; 19 and 25 inches in length) with little change from 2005 when they were first sampled in Lake Marie. These fish probably migrated downstream from Betsy Lake which was stocked with Channel Catfish in 1983.

Other fish species sampled during the survey included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Common Carp, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

What is the average air temp for Marie Lake?