Little Waverly Lake

How big is Little Waverly Lake?

How deep is Little Waverly Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Little Waverly Lake?

What are the closest cities to Little Waverly Lake?

Are there boat launches on Little Waverly Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Little Waverly Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Little Waverly Lake?

Little Waverly Lake is located in southern Wright County, within the city limits of Waverly and just west of Waverly Lake. It has a surface area of 330 acres and a maximum depth of 12 feet. The watershed is large and dominated by agriculture. Twelve Mile Creek runs through the lake and connects to the North Fork of the Crow River; a small low head dam is located at the outlet. The lake was turbid and had an algae bloom in mid July and water clarity was only 2.0 feet. Because the lake is shallow and nutrient rich, a winter aeration system is often used to prevent winterkill. The lake is primarily managed for Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass and the last lake survey was conducted in 2004.

Aquatic vegetation was sparse and shallow due to poor water clarity. Cattail species were the only emergent plants found along shore and only in two stands. Submerged plants were not surveyed in 2014, but the dominant species in 2004 were coontail, sago pondweed, and Eurasian watermilfoil. Eurasian watermilfoil was first found in the lake in 1993 and was observed during the 2014 lake survey.

The Northern Pike catch in 2014 was lower than in 2004, but within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Little Waverly. Lengths ranged from 20.9 to 28.7 inches with an average length and weight of 24.2 inches and 3.0 pounds. Forty eight percent of pike sampled were longer than 24 inches.

Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing in late May. The catch rate (81/hour) was much higher than the Montrose average (43/hour) and higher than 2004 (33/hour, nighttime). Lengths ranged from 8.7 to 19.5 inches with an average length of 15.0 inches. Among catchable size fish (>8 inches), 55% were longer than 15 inches. It is worth noting that fish were larger in 2014 than in 2004, despite a much higher catch rate.

Walleye fry were stocked in Little Waverly in the past with little success. The Walleye catch was low in 2014, but higher than in 2004. Walleye lengths ranged from 11.9 to 22.0 inches, with a mean length and weight of 17.7 inches and 2.2 pounds. A culvert and short channel connect Little Waverly and Waverly lakes; Waverly Lake is stocked with Walleye fingerlings which likely emigrate to Little Waverly.

Black Crappie numbers in gill nets were similar to 2004 results and above the expected range of values for similar lakes. However, trap net catches were low and have been highly variable in the past. Lengths ranged from 4.2 to 11.5 inches with an average length and weight of 7.7 inches and 0.4 pounds. The Bluegill catch was the lowest recorded and below the expected range of values for similar lakes. Bluegill lengths ranged between 6.0 and 8.3 inches with an average length and weight of 6.8 inches and 0.3 pounds.

Only eight Yellow Perch were caught, much less than in 2004 and all previous surveys. It is unclear why so few perch and Bluegill were caught. Northern Pike prey readily on Yellow Perch, but pike numbers were not high. Largemouth Bass were abundant and could suppress Bluegill numbers, but bass typically do not prey heavily on perch.

A total of 12 Channel Catfish were caught in 2014, compared to only one in 2004 and none in previous surveys. Channel Catfish were relatively large; lengths ranged from 15.5 to 30.3 inches with an average length of 22.1 inches. Channel Catfish are abundant in the Crow River and have immigrated into Little Waverly, Waverly, and other connected lakes in recent years.

Other species caught in the survey included: Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, Bluntnose Minnow, Brown Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Central Mudminnow, Common Carp, Fathead Minnow, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Johnny Darter, Pumpkinseed, Spottail Shiner, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

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