Little Sugar Bush Lake

Little Sugar Bush Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade. Clarity is the limiting factor — phosphorus is reasonable but suspended particles or algal cells keep water transparency below Minnesota norms.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. The lake bottoms out at 29 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 221 acres, Little Sugar Bush Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 3.6 miles of shoreline. Within the 93 graded lakes of Becker County, Little Sugar Bush Lake sits at rank 78, near the bottom of the county list.

Little Sugar Bush Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Little Sugar Bush Lake, one of 13 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Little Sugar Bush Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.