Sturgeon Lake (Pine County)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 58006700

DNR records show 16 stocking entries at Sturgeon Lake (Pine County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (749 fish).

• Sturgeon Lake (Pine County) has 16 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (16).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 27,545 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 40 ft, mean depth 22 ft; surface area 1,706 acres, 495 littoral acres, 9.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.3 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, and 3 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 10, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Pine County, nearest town Sturgeon Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 58006700.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/30/1954 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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 Sturgeon Lake was conducted on July 10-16, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) 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 eighteen sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample twelve stations, and a 15-foot seine was used at four stations. Two stations were not seined due to dense vegetation and soft substrate. Nearshore sampling captured twenty-one species of fish, including six species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by LBMA program staff. Twelve trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured nine species of fish, including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Yellow Bullhead and Bluegill comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net were combined with gill net data from a July 2023 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based index of biological integrity (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., Green Sunfish and Common Carp). 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. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Kettle River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Sturgeon Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 10, 2025.

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