Sand Lake (Becker County)
Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03065900
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Sand Lake (Becker County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (245,000 fish).
- Sand Lake (Becker County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,786,195 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 28 ft; surface area 311 acres, 104 littoral acres, 4.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Becker County, nearest town Lake Park; DNR lake number (DOW) 03065900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/24/1964 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 245,000 | 2.4 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 249,195 | 2.3 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 245,000 | 2.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 245,000 | 2.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 245,000 | 2.1 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 245,000 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 104,000 | 0.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 104,000 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 104,000 | 0.9 |
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 | High water has made use of the public access difficult. Parking only exists for approximately 3 rigs. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 35.00 | 70 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 25.00 | 50 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 2.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | 50-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 34.13 | 49 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 20.20 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 10.45 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 10.45 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 2.79 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Brown bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 1.39 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 19.40 | 97 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 4.20 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
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 Sand Lake was conducted over several days, beginning on June 21st, 2021 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 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample two stations, a 15-foot seine was used at five stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 7 species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e. Iowa Darter) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 21st, 2021 standard 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. Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Fathead Minnow). 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. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Buffalo River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
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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