Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 18, 2016
Species recorded at South Sturgeon Lake
10 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at South Sturgeon Lake
No stocking record for South Sturgeon 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 South Sturgeon 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 July 18, 2016 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at South Sturgeon Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows South Sturgeon Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-07-18 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2016-07-18 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 8.97 | 6–13 in 2002-07-29 | 0.66 lb |
| Bluegill | 5.11 | 3–9 in 2016-07-18 | 0.21 lb |
| Black Crappie | 1.84 | 3–11 in 2016-07-18 | 0.27 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 1.00 | 5–7 in 2016-07-18 | 0.16 lb |
| Northern Pike | 0.71 | 14–26 in 2016-07-18 | 2.67 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.
Tullibee (Cisco)
Bluegill
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
From the 2016-07-18 survey
South Sturgeon Lake is a small, infertile lake located about 15 miles northwest of Chisholm, Minnesota. There is a public access on the southwest side of the lake. Small, accessible, infertile lakes like South Sturgeon often do not have the ability to produce high quality fisheries and are vulnerable to angling…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for South Sturgeon Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — South SturgeonFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — South Sturgeon (0831)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — South SturgeonPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in South Sturgeon Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2016 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at South Sturgeon Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 10 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was South Sturgeon Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for South Sturgeon Lake is dated July 18, 2016. 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 South Sturgeon Lake stocked?
No stocking record for South Sturgeon 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 South Sturgeon Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows South Sturgeon Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 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.
Where to stay near South Sturgeon Lake
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