Ember Lake

How big is Ember Lake?

How deep is Ember Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Ember Lake?

What are the closest cities to Ember Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Ember Lake?

Ember Lake is a small (55 acre) lake located two miles north of the City of Silver Creek in northern Wright County. There is no public access on this natural environment lake. There are 1.3 miles of shoreline. Most development has occurred along the south end of the lake. Because of good water clarity native aquatic plants were common. No stocking has been done and management has been limited to periodic netting. The last survey was in 1984.

Curled pondweed was surveyed at peak abundance and found to be growing at or near the surface on 2.5 acres (4.5% of the total surface acres). Fourteen species of aquatic plants were noted. Illinois pondweed and northern milfoil were the most abundant species. Because of good water clarity, plants were found growing to a depth of 12 feet. At the time of the survey (July 2  3, 2007), oxygen levels were adequate for fish to 17 feet.

One notable change that has occurred in the fishery between the 1984 and 2007 surveys is the significant decline of northern pike. Net catches of northern pike were below the normal range. If this is correct, it is somewhat unusual, as northern pike would be expected to thrive in this type of lake with clear water and abundant aquatic plants. Also, northern pike populations have been increasing over the past few decades and have become abundant in a majority of lakes in the area. Of the forage species only a few yellow perch were captured.

A primary management species for Ember Lake is largemouth bass. Ember Lake has an excellent bass population with a wide range of sizes available. Anglers have reported fish up to 20 inches. Little is known about the former condition of the largemouth bass population, as 2007 was the first opportunity to sample with night electrofishing. The catch was just under 300 per hour, four times higher than the average catch for Wright County lakes.

Ember Lake has a moderate population of bluegills but not black crappies. About a third of the bluegills taken with trap nets were larger than seven inches. The average size of the bluegills was 6.5 inches. The bluegills in Ember Lake grow slowly and take seven years to reach seven inches.

Other species in the fish community include: brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, Johnny darter, pumpkinseed sunfish, and yellow bullhead.

Maintaining the water quality in Ember Lake should be a high priority of the county and landowners around the lake. Some effort may be needed to identify any sources of phosphorus and plans developed to reduce these sources. Buffer strips along inlets and lakeshore property are encouraged to reduce nutrients entering the lake. Maintaining adequate septic systems and keeping grass clippings and raked leaves out the lake will also help reduce the amount of nutrients entering the lake, thus slowing excess algal and vegetation growth.

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