Sugar Lake (Aitkin County)
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01008700
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Sugar Lake (Aitkin County) since 2017, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (190 fish).
- Sugar Lake (Aitkin County) has 10 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2017-2025): walleye (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 683,310 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 45 ft; surface area 416 acres, 267 littoral acres, 4.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Glen; DNR lake number (DOW) 01008700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/20/1963 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 190 | 23.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 1,910 | 450.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,990 | 266.6 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.2 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,340 | 267.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 133,500 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 380 | 200.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 13.11 | 118 | 0.41 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.67 | 87 | 1.95 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 6.89 | 62 | 0.12 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 5.44 | 49 | 0.17 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 24 | 1.38 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.56 | 23 | 0.10 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.37 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.89 | 8 | 2.13 |
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.
Sugar Lake is a 398-acre lake located east of Glen, in south central Aitkin County, and has a state-owned public access on the south shore. About 60 percent of the lake is less than 15 feet deep, with a 25-foot basin in the east end of the lake and a 45-foot basin in the south-central part of the lake. The water is moderately clear with a green color from light algae blooms. Anglers will find several species in Sugar Lake, including Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, Rock Bass and an occasional Smallmouth Bass. Walleye gill net catch rates, which have been variable but generally low over time, decreased from 2.89 per net in 2021 to 0.89 per net in 2024. No Walleye were captured younger than age 5, and only three year classes were present (age 5, 7, and 9). Walleye averaged 19.0 inches in length and ranged from 16.3 to 21.7 inches. An experimental fry stocking program was not successful in augmenting the population. Most (80%) of the Walleye captured in 2024 were from the 2019 year class, which was a year stocked with fingerlings. The gill net catch rate for Northern Pike remained stable and within the expected range for the lake class at 9.7 per net, similar to 2021 (10.0 per net). Quality size structure exists in Sugar Lake for Northern Pike. Northern Pike ranged from 6.8 to 36.6 inches, and 17% were 26 inches or larger. Nine individuals captured were greater than 30.0 inches. There has been an increasing trend of large pike in surveys since 1970, and because Northern Pike have shown the potential to grow large in Sugar Lake, anglers are encouraged to continue recycling these larger fish. Black Crappie catch rates decreased from 7.0 per net in 2021 to 2.2 per net in 2024. In 2021, the strongest cohorts were age 9 (2012) and age 3 (2018) fish, and neither of these cohorts were present in the 2024 sample. It is probable that the 2012 year class is no longer present due to old-age, however, it is unclear why no 2018 year class fish were observed. Crappies ranged in length from 3.9 to 12.6 inches and averaged 8.0 inches. Twenty-five percent of Crappies were 10 inches or larger, suggesting Sugar Lake continues to be capable of producing quality and preferred-size Crappies. Largemouth Bass were abundant in the gill nets (2.7 per net) and like many other area lakes appear to have increased over time. They ranged from 6.8 to 19.6 inches and averaged 12.7 inches. One 17.7-inch Smallmouth Bass was captured in 2024, the first sampled in Sugar Lake in a gill net since 2011. While rare, young-of-the-year and adults have…
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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