Sugar Lake
Cass County, Minnesota699 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sugar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 44 ft max depth
- Public access
Sugar Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 44 ft. Surface area: 699.26 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 2024 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Sugar Lake. DNR survey details →
Sugar Lake is a 699-acre mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 44 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Sugar Lake ranks #48 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sugar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Deep water44 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sugar Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sugar Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sugar Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sugar Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft. Phosphorus 18 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 18µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sugar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sugar Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 66°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 68°F) and coldest in May (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 190 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sugar Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 2024 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Sugar Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sugar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-15 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2024-07-15 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 16.55 | 2–10 in 2024-07-15 | 0.22 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.86 | 9–31 in 2024-07-15 | 1.35 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 4.33 | 5–8 in 2019-08-19 | 0.1 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 4.07 |
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.
Bluegill
Northern Pike
Yellow Perch
From the 2024-07-15 survey
Sugar Lake (DOW# 11-0026; lake class 27) is a 702-acre lake with 345 littoral acres, 6.73 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 44 feet located northeast of Remer, MN. There is a US Forest Service owned public access on the west shore. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sugar Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SugarFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Sugar (1643)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SugarFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SugarPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
44 ft
Surface area
699 acres
Shoreline
6.7 mi
Littoral zone
46%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,322 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Sugar LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sugar Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sugar Lake in Cass County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sugar Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2022–2025).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.9 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Sugar Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN11-0026-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Sugar Lake
Where is Sugar Lake?
- Sugar Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sugar Lake?
- Sugar Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 44 ft. Surface area: 699.26 acres.
Is Sugar Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sugar Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Sugar Lake?
- Sugar Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September, from 190 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sugar Lake?
- Sugar Lake has a maximum depth of 44 feet. The lake covers 699.26 acres.
What fish are in Sugar Lake?
- Fish species found in Sugar Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Sugar Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sugar Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 2024 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Sugar Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sugar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Sugar Lake?
- Sugar Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sugar Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sugar Lake?
- Sugar Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
69 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA69 samples · 2022–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory