Lower Sucker Lake

Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11031300

DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Lower Sucker Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (301,000 fish).

• Lower Sucker Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (8).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,364,107 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 35 ft; surface area 592 acres, 301 littoral acres, 4.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.5 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, and 3 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 1, 2024 (targeted survey).
• Cass County, nearest town Cass Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 11031300.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1964 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

³ fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Lower Sucker Lake, which is located wholly within the Leech Lake Reservation, was conducted on July 1-3, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 14 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample five stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at seven stations. Two stations were not seined due to dense aquatic vegetation and soft substrate. Nearshore sampling captured 19 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Mimic Shiner) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead and Fathead Minnow). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured ten species of fish but none that are intolerant of disturbance. Yellow Perch comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Bowfin and White Sucker comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a June 2021 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Fathead Minnow and Black Bullhead). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. You can help protect the fish community in Lower Sucker Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 1, 2024.

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