Fishing Avery Lake

Avery Lake's 254-acre two-basin system offers diverse fishing anchored by abundant smallmouth bass that can reach 20 inches, though they grow slowly due to competition with only 17% reaching the 14-inch legal size. Largemouth bass provide better action with 56% legal-sized fish and above-average growth rates, taking about 6 years to reach 14 inches. The north basin reaches 79 feet deep with good dissolved oxygen to 36 feet and 52°F water temperatures, while the south basin maxes at 52 feet with oxygen depletion below 35 feet. Bluegill dominate the panfish community but grow painfully slow, requiring 7 years to reach 8 inches with only 4% exceeding that size in recent surveys. Rock bass are extremely abundant but similarly stunted at one inch below state averages. Yellow perch occasionally reach 12 inches but remain less common than in past decades. The lake holds naturally reproducing walleye in very low numbers since stocking ended in 1998, with the few caught ranging 18-23 inches. Northern pike are rare but those present can exceed 27 inches, limited by scarce spawning habitat in the predominantly sand, marl, and muck-bottomed lake. Large schools of mimic shiners comprised 79% of the 2009 survey catch, providing abundant forage. Heavy woody debris on the south and southwest shores offers prime fish cover, while chara algae has increased on the bottom. The legal lake level maintained since 1970 creates stable conditions but may limit some species' natural reproduction cycles.