Sagatagan Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73009200
Sagatagan Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Sagatagan Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 42 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 227 acres, 114 littoral acres, 6.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Fish species DNR lists here: largemouth bass.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Collegeville; DNR lake number (DOW) 73009200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/8/1976 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
DNR fish survey, 2000
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 29.87 | 37 | 1.43 |
| Black crappie | Standard electrofishing | 3.23 | 4 | 0.30 |
| Northern pike | Standard electrofishing | 2.42 | 3 | 1.34 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard electrofishing | 1.61 | 2 | 0.56 |
| Bluegill | Standard electrofishing | 0.81 | 1 | 0.46 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 22.00 | 198 | 0.12 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 17.56 | 158 | 0.52 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 27 | 0.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.16 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.27 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.28 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.29 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.10 |
| BCS | Survey seining | 20.00 | 100 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 15.20 | 76 | 0.06 |
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 3.40 | 17 | 0.03 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 3.00 | 15 | 0.02 |
| Pumpkinseed | Survey seining | 0.80 | 4 | 0.07 |
| Northern pike | Survey seining | 0.40 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 17.67 | 106 | 0.50 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.17 | 61 | 1.63 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 32 | 0.11 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 10 | 0.06 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 10 | 0.25 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 6 | 0.87 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 2.18 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.22 |
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.
Sagatagan Lake is located in Stearns County, three miles west of St. Joseph, and entirely within the campus of St. John's University. The lake is 159 acres in size, has a mean depth of 8.9 feet and a maximum depth of 42 feet. There is no public access. It is a typical bass-panfish lake with high numbers of bass, bluegill and northern pike and low numbers of yellow perch and black crappie. No species are currently stocked. The lake has good water clarity and a diverse plant community, probably due to its small, undeveloped watershed and largely unaltered shoreline. Northern pike are abundant and there has been little change from 1984 to 2000 in the catch rate or average size (1.6 pounds, 20 inches in 2000). Growth is slow and few pike larger than 24 inches were caught; the largest individual was 28 inches. The number of largemouth bass caught during spring electrofishing was below average, but the average size was high. Half of all bass captured were larger than 12 inches and the largest was 20.7 inches. Few yellow perch were captured in the 2000 survey and all were small. Low perch numbers may be caused by abundant small pike and may also be limiting pike growth. Bluegill abundance has not changed substantially since the 1984 survey and is still within the expected range for this lake type. The average size of bluegill was normal (5.2 inches) and the largest caught was 7.7 inches. Black crappie catch rate and average size were typical for this type of lake. However, crappies captured during the summer survey were mostly medium-sized fish (8 inches) and none were larger than 9 inches. Hybrid sunfish and pumpkinseed sunfish were also caught during the survey in low numbers, but some were over 8 inches in length. Yellow bullhead catch rates increased from 1984 to 2000 while their average weight remained normal (0.5 pounds). Yellow bullhead are common in lakes with good water quality and are not a cause for concern. A few brown bullheads were also captured. Anglers can help improve fishing in Sagatagan Lake by selectively harvesting smaller pike (less than 22 inches) and releasing larger pike and bass. Reducing the number of small pike may allow perch numbers to increase, providing better forage for pike and increasing their growth. Releasing larger bass may help keep average bass size high and help keep the number of small bluegill in check. If the watershed and shoreline remain largely undeveloped, it seems likely that the lake and the fish community will remain stable.
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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