Little Sauk Lake
Todd County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 77016400
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Little Sauk Lake since 2024, most recently largemouth bass adults in 2024 (282 fish).
- Little Sauk Lake has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2024-2024): largemouth bass (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is largemouth bass: 282 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 29 ft, mean depth 12 ft; surface area 277 acres, 161 littoral acres, 4.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, redhorse, and 5 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Todd County, nearest town Little Sauk; DNR lake number (DOW) 77016400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/1/1954 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Largemouth Bass | adults | 282 | 292.5 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | East side of lake |
| gravel ramp | TOW | smaller boats can travel up the Sauk River from a road access downstream of the culverts |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 17.83 | 107 | 0.50 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 9.17 | 55 | 0.16 |
| Yellow bullhead | Special trap nets | 5.00 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Special trap nets | 2.50 | 15 | 0.14 |
| Pumpkinseed | Special trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Special trap nets | 0.83 | 5 | 5.01 |
| Brown bullhead | Special trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Special trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.11 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Fall Trap netting was performed September 17-18 to provide data on the Bluegill and Black Crappie size structures. "Conservation Regulations" were enacted in June of 2000 upon the development and opening of a public access site. The bag limits for sunfish and Black Crappie were reduced to 5 fish under these "Conservation Regulations". The 2024 Fall trap netting was the first and likely only time Fall trap netting will be used for evaluation purposes. This Fall sampling was conducted to provide a final set of data to help decide whether the 5 fish bag limit for crappie could be dropped or maintained. Secondarily this effort provided additional data on the Bluegill population and the possible responses to an apparent increase in submerged aquatic vegetation. Spring trap netting is the preferred method for evaluating panfish populations and has been conducted on the lake seven previous times since 2003. Future evaluations of the Bluegill and Black Crappie populations will incorporate trap netting to provide proper comparisons. A total of 107 crappie were captured during fall trap netting in 2024. The percentage of fish over 10 inches (45.8%) and 12 inches (2.8%) were higher than any past Spring trap net results. Mean length in 2024 was 9.22 inches and maximum length was 12.4 inches. These metrics were quite similar to Spring trap netting in 2021 when crappie over 10 inches comprised 42% of the catch and 2.4% were over 12 inches. Mean length in 2021 was 9.62 inches and maximum length was 13.3 inches. Sample size in 2021 was 706 fish. The 2021 and 2024 assessments indicated a minor shift to improve d size structures compared to past surveys however fish over 12 inches still remain a relatively small component of the population. Thus, the 5 fish bag limit is unlikely to produce a substantial number of large crappie although total recruitment and abundance remain strong. Otoliths were not collected from Black Crappie in 2024. Otoliths were extracted from angler caught crappie during the winter of 2018-19. Crappies attained 9 inches by Age 4 and 10.2 inches by Age 6. Growth appears to slow down as fish reach 10 inches as Age 8 fish averaged 10.6 inches which may help to explain the relatively low number of fish attaining lengths over 12 inches. Despite the minimal impacts of the 5 fish bag it was apparent during the public input process that most anglers prefer the protections afforded by the lower limit and desire no return to the statewide bag limit of 10 fish. Spring trap netting in 2003 and 2007 produced relatively large samples of Bluegill . Since 2007…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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