Fishing Lake Emily

Lake Emily offers a robust Northern Muskellunge fishery with consistent natural reproduction, though fish typically run small in the 30-35 inch range with none exceeding the 42-inch legal size in recent surveys. The lake is absolutely loaded with panfish, particularly Pumpkinseed which jumped from 30 per net in 2002 to 162 per net in 2024, but most run undersized at 3-5 inches. Yellow Perch average 6.9 inches with 42% reaching the 7-inch keeper size, though growth is poor at 1.7 inches below state average and they're infected with heterosporosis parasite that gives fillets a freezer-burn appearance. The Walleye population has collapsed from 4.1 fish per acre in 2018 to just 0.7 per acre in 2023 despite aggressive stocking, including doubling the rate in 2023. During summer, suitable Walleye habitat is compressed to just a 5-foot band between 11-15 feet deep where oxygen levels remain above 5 ppm and temperatures stay in the preferred 64-75°F range. The lake bottom is mostly sand with gravel and marl, and the hourglass-shaped basin has extensive aquatic vegetation that may be limiting Walleye recruitment. Zebra mussels arrived in 2011 but haven't reached the extreme densities seen in nearby Chicagon Lake. The 325-acre lake reaches 30 feet deep and is surrounded primarily by wetlands with development concentrated on the eastern shore. Fish consumption advisories apply to several species due to mercury levels. Anglers should focus muskie efforts around the abundant submerged trees, especially along the north shoreline, while panfish can be found throughout the heavily vegetated shallows.