West Sturgeon Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69093903
West Sturgeon Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- West Sturgeon Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 31 ft; surface area 117 acres, 42 littoral acres, 2.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Chisholm; DNR lake number (DOW) 69093903.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - McCarthy Beach State Park on Sturgeon Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2016
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 6.00 | 54 | 0.14 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.42 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.72 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.59 |
| Silver redhorse | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 4.60 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 1.62 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.38 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.43 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 27 | 0.65 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 2.19 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.09 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 5 | 2.47 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 3.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.02 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.88 |
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.
West Sturgeon is a small, infertile lake located about 15 miles northwest of Chisholm, Minnesota. There is no public access on the lake but access can be attained from other lakes in the chain. Small, infertile lakes like West Sturgeon often do not have the ability to produce high quality fisheries and are vulnerable to angling overharvest. The 2003 lake management plan (LMP) indicates Black Crappie and Northern Pike are the primary species of management with Bluegill as a secondary species. Historical netting data was used to formulate the LMP goals for the lake. A standard survey was conducted in June of 2016 to assess the status of the fish community. Black Crappie numbers have never been high relative to similar lakes. The trap-net catch of 1.6 fish/net approached the LMP goal of 2.0/net. The sampled fish ranged from 6.2 to 10.8 inches and averaged 9.0 inches. Fish from three to six years old were sampled. Growth was slow with Black Crappie averaging 8.6 inches after five years. The Black Crappie population may provide decent fishing at times following periods of good natural reproduction. The 2016 Northern Pike catch was the lowest on record and fell short of the LMP goal. The sampled fish ranged from 19.9 to 26.5 inches and averaged 22.1 inches. The sampled fish were four to six years old. Northern Pike averaged 20.1 inches after four years, which is similar to the statewide average. The pike population appears to be low and likely cannot withstand much angler harvest. Bluegill catches increased from 1984 to 2002, but declined in 2016. The catch was within the normal range for similar lakes but failed to meet the LMP goal. The sampled fish ranged from 3.3 to 8.9 inches and averaged 4.9 inches. The oldest Bluegill was estimated to be 10 years old based on scale evaluations. Fish averaged 4.7 inches after five years, which is slow. More than likely the small average size and slow growing Bluegill in West Sturgeon will not attract much attention from anglers. Walleye catches have always been low in West Sturgeon despite various stocking within the chain. Only one Walleye was sampled by gill nets in each of the last two surveys while the most ever sampled was three fish. Low lake productivity in conjunction with an inadequate prey base will limit Walleye numbers. The Yellow Perch catch was the lowest on record in 2016. The sampled Yellow Perch ranged from 5.8 to 7.0 inches and averaged 6.3 inches. Yellow Perch are not likely providing much fishing opportunities or food for predators due to their poor size structure and low numbers. Other species…
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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