Sand Lake (St. Louis County, DOW 69073600)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69073600
Sand Lake (St. Louis County, DOW 69073600) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Sand Lake (St. Louis County, DOW 69073600) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 15 ft; surface area 779 acres, 770 littoral acres, 6.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Virginia; DNR lake number (DOW) 69073600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | PRI | Voyageur's Sand Lake Resort 218-749-3057 Northeast corner of lake. Same location as RE1. - At the time of this survey a $2 fee was charged to the general public for launching. Very limited space to turn a vehicle & trailer around & also very limited parking. Access launching area is all sand. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 19.33 | 116 | 2.73 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 12.17 | 73 | 0.11 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.17 | 49 | 0.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 30 | 0.14 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.55 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 4.22 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.13 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.07 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 16.83 | 202 | 0.23 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 7.75 | 93 | 0.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 5.08 | 61 | 3.53 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.50 | 18 | 0.34 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 1.02 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 0.10 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 0.12 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 4.33 |
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.
Sand Lake is a 779 acre lake located 10 miles north of Virginia. The lake was not stratified on 08/21/2023, had a temperature of 73F, a secchi visibility of 6.3 feet, and a max depth of 15 feet. The water had a green tint. Sand is highly developed and aquatic vegetation is very abundant. The Sand Lake Association operates a permitted weed-harvester to control the top 4 feet of aquatic vegetation. There is a private access at Voyageur's Sand Lake Resort on the lake's northeeast side off State Highway 53. The access is basically a sand beach and space is limited for launching and parking. The landing is quite shallow and may be difficult to launch a large boat from. A small fee is required for use. Fish sampling during the 2023 standard survey consisted of 6 gill nets and 12 trap nets. Electrofishing for bass was not conducted in 2023 but was completed in 2018. Ten species of fish were sampled in 2023. Northern pike and bluegill dominated the gill net and trap net catches, respectively. Black crappie were also sampled in above average numbers. Yellow perch were sampled in below average numbers and walleye were rare. White sucker were absent from the gill net catch and scarce in trap nets. Northern pike abundance (19.3/net) was well above average for Sand Lake and the Tower area. The average northern pike sampled was 22 inches. Sizes from all gears ranged from 11 to 36 inches. Average length of pike in trap nets was noticeably higher at 25 inches. Anglers could expect excellent pike action and opportunity to harvest. Bluegill abundance (16.3/net) was also well above average for both Sand Lake and the Tower area. The average bluegill sampled was 7 inches, and lengths ranged from 3 to nearly 9 inches. Bluegill larger than 8 inches represented 14% of the catch. Growth was slow compared to similar lakes. Recruitment was consistent with no missing years. Black crappie numbers (7.7/net) were above average. The average crappie was not quite 7 inches which was below average for Sand. Lengths ranged from 4.5 to 12 inches. Black crappie larger than 10 inches represented over 10% of the catch. Growth was below average for the area. 2017 and 2015 were strong year classes, but there were no missing years. Largemouth bass were present in both gears. Lengths ranged from 10.5 to 18. inches. Standard survey gear paints an incomplete picture of bass abundance, but largemouth are likely still thriving in Sand Lake.
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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