Fishing Avalon Lake

Avalon Lake is a deep, clear oligotrophic lake with excellent water quality but limited productivity. The 372-acre lake reaches over 75 feet deep with good dissolved oxygen throughout the water column, even maintaining 6+ ppm down to 47 feet in August. Water clarity is exceptional with 24-foot secchi readings. The fishery is dominated by splake and smallmouth bass for predators, with yellow perch as the main panfish but these are predominantly small fish under 7 inches. Splake grow about an inch slower than state average but provide good fishing, especially in winter, with most reaching the 12-inch minimum size by their second year. Smallmouth bass are prolific with 9 year classes represented and abundant 14-inch legal fish, though growth is also slightly below average at -0.8 inches. The bass fishery is excellent and these fish help control rusty crayfish if present. Yellow perch growth is poor at -1.1 inches below state average, with the 2010 survey finding no perch over 6 inches despite historical reports of larger fish. Adult lake trout were stocked in 2009 as retired broodstock averaging 28 inches, with excellent survival documented. Northern pike are rare but can reach impressive sizes like the 40-inch specimen caught. The lake has sand, marl and gravel substrate with limited aquatic vegetation. Zebra mussels compete with native species for food resources. White suckers are abundant and grow well, competing for limited forage. Historical management attempted fish removals in the early 1980s, removing over 15,000 pounds of perch and suckers, but this didn't improve growth rates. The lake's low productivity limits all species growth, making it better suited for quality predator fishing than panfish action.