Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest June 4, 2012
Stocking at Sand Lake
No stocking record for Sand Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Sand Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 2012 caught 0.11 walleye per trap net at Sand Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–19 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2012-06-04 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2012-06-04 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crappie | 69.01 | 5–11 in 2012-06-04 | 0.18 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 43.40 | 6–8 in 2012-06-04 | 0.25 lb |
| Bluegill | 32.39 | 3–7 in 2012-06-04 | 0.12 lb |
| Walleye | 13.11 | 19 in 2012-06-04 | 2.53 lb |
| White Sucker | 10.12 | 15–19 in 2002-07-08 | 1.71 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.92 | 14–16 in 2012-06-04 | 1.21 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Black Crappie
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Walleye
From the 2012-06-04 survey
Sand Lake is located in north central Stearns County, three miles southwest of Albany. It has a surface area of 202 acres and a maximum depth of about 15 feet. A public access is located along the west shore. Due to the shallowness of the lake and poor water quality, the lake periodically experiences partial…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sand Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SandFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SandPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Sand Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 2012 caught 0.11 walleye per trap net at Sand Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–19 inches. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Sand Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Sand Lake is dated June 4, 2012. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Sand Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Sand Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Sand Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
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