Sturgeon Lake (St. Louis County)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69093901
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Sturgeon Lake (St. Louis County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (5,678 fish).
- Sturgeon Lake (St. Louis County) has 8 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 705,381 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 80 ft; surface area 1,585 acres, 667 littoral acres, 10.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, golden redhorse, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, tullibee (cisco), and 3 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Chisholm; DNR lake number (DOW) 69093901.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,678 | 334.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,742 | 334.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 130 | 6.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,300 | 100.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,010 | 334.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 11,356 | 334.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,165 | 411.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 667,000 | 6.7 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | PRI | Sixberries Landing, between SW bay and West Sturgeon. Private property |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | At McCarthy Beach State Park, SE corner of the lake. - Very shallow access making launching difficult. |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 7.33 | 110 | 0.35 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 75 | 2.38 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 15 | 0.23 |
| Lake whitefish | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 15 | 3.63 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.87 | 13 | 2.90 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.73 | 11 | 0.16 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.53 | 8 | 2.38 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.27 | 4 | 1.41 |
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.
Sturgeon Lake is a 1,664-acre lake located 14 miles northwest of Chisholm, MN, within the Little Fork River watershed. A public access is located on the southeast shore within McCarthy Beach State Park. The lake has a maximum depth of 80 feet and 40 percent of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Water chemistry analysis shows the lake has soft water and low fertility indicating the lake has a limited capacity to support a lot of fish. The lakes water is clear resulting in visibility to 15 feet. The temperature and oxygen profile in mid-July 2023 found sufficient oxygen from the surface to the bottom of the lake to support fish. The Sturgeon Lake inlet and outlet are located on the southwest side of the lake and are navigable by boat. The inlet flows from West Sturgeon Lake while the outlet flows into Little Sturgeon Lake. Water ultimately flows from the Sturgeon Lake Chain to the Sturgeon River, which is a tributary to the Little Fork River. The 2023 gill net only survey was the tenth survey of the Sturgeon Lake fish community since 1969. The Lake Management Plan (LMP) was last revised in 2017. It lists Northern Pike as a primary management species and Walleye as a secondary management species. Surveys are conducted to monitor the fish population for changes in abundance, size distribution, and growth. The 2023 targeted survey was conducted primarily to evaluate the effectiveness of Walleye stocking to the fishery. Walleye fry were stocked at a rate of 1,000/littoral acre (667,000; acres of water less than 15 feet) annually from 2011 to 2016. Six years of fry stocking yielded minimal contributions to the fishery warranting a new alternate-year fingerling stocking plan from 2017 through the present. In 2023, the Walleye catch declined to 0.5/gill net which is an all-time low over the survey history. The catch remained below the long-range goal of 2.0/net for the seventh survey in a row, indicating this goal is likely not attainable. Low Walleye numbers typically reflect limited or no natural production and low survival of stocked fish. It appears that conditions for juvenile Walleye survival are poor. Walleye lengths in 2023 ranged from 13 to 23 inches. The six Walleye aged represented five different year classes. Growth appeared average with Walleye exceeding 15 inches after 4 years of growth. Despite multiple fry and fingerling stocking strategies since 2011, Walleye numbers remain low likely due to low perch numbers, soft water, and low lake fertility. In general, the population is low in number and has average growth rates. The Northern Pike catch…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.