Sauger Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Game FishFound in 3 lakes

Sauger is one of the headline game-fish species in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan — the kind of catch that anchors fishing trips, cabin weekends, and the regional fishing economy. 3 lakes in our dataset have documented Sauger. Sauger is narrowly distributed — only 3 lakes in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan lake also signals enough water-quality stability to support the prey species the game fish depend on — perch, alewife, ciscoes — which themselves require reasonably oxygenated, clear water. On the LakeGrade rubric, the cleanest Sauger lakes tend to also be the highest-graded — the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions that support the species also produce the higher grades.

Total Lakes

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

115 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Sauger Lakes

14%

27%

46%

11%

Best Sauger Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with sauger ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Otter Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	30
2	Namakan Lake	St. Louis	MN	B	150 ft	18
3	Agnes Lake	St. Louis	MN	B	30 ft	10
4	Otter Lake	Oakland	MI	B	-	30
5	Otter Lake	Benzie	MI	B	-	30
6	Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	B	78 ft	36
7	Namakan Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	150 ft	18
8	Rainy Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	161 ft	17
9	Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	184 ft	21
10	Namakan Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	150 ft	18
11	Rainy Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	161 ft	17
12	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	C	161 ft	17
13	Lac la Croix Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	168 ft	12
14	St. Croix Lake	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
15	Pool of Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
16	Pool on Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
17	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	80 ft	16
18	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	D	161 ft	17
19	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	80 ft	16
20	Rainy Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	161 ft	17
21	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	80 ft	16
22	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	80 ft	16
23	Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	184 ft	21
24	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	D	161 ft	17
25	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	D	161 ft	17
26	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	D	161 ft	17
27	Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	184 ft	21
28	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	D	161 ft	17
29	Crane Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	80 ft	12
30	Namakan Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	150 ft	18
31	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	80 ft	16
32	Crane Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	80 ft	12
33	Iron Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	64 ft	9
34	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	F	80 ft	16
35	Pepin Lake	Pepin	MN	F	60 ft	47
36	Spring Lake	Dakota	MN	F	17 ft	21
37	Lac la Croix Lake	St. Louis	MN	F	30 ft	10

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have sauger?

Sauger are found in 3 graded lakes: 3 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with sauger is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for sauger?

The best sauger lakes by water quality are Otter Lake, Namakan Lake, Agnes Lake, Otter Lake, Otter Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where sauger have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with sauger?

Sauger are most commonly found alongside northern pike, sauger, walleye, black crappie, rock bass. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Sauger Lakes

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 34 lakes · 99 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 34 lakes · 840 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 33 lakes · 41 total

Rock bass Lakes

Found together in 33 lakes · 117 total

White sucker Lakes

Found together in 33 lakes · 121 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 33 lakes · 113 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.