Upper Sucker Lake
Cass County, Minnesota113 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Upper Sucker Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 25 ft max depth
Upper Sucker Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 112.96 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 2021 caught 14.50 northern pike per gill net at Upper Sucker Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Upper Sucker Lake is a 113-acre mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 25 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Upper Sucker Lake ranks #78 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Upper Sucker Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.8 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Upper Sucker 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 Upper Sucker Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Upper Sucker 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 10.8 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.3 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.3µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Upper Sucker Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Upper Sucker Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 58°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 60°F) and coldest in May (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (60°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 203 field readings (2023–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Upper Sucker Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 2021 caught 14.50 northern pike per gill net at Upper Sucker Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Sucker Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-04 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2021-06-04 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 21.52 | 4–10 in 2021-06-04 | 0.26 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 11.36 | 4–9 in 2021-06-04 | 0.16 lb |
| Bluegill | 5.83 | 3–9 in 2021-06-04 | 0.26 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.49 | 9–26 in 2021-06-04 | 1.4 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 3.99 | 17–18 in 2016-06-27 | 3.31 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 Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Northern Pike
From the 2021-06-04 survey
Upper Sucker Lake is 113-acre lake is located approximately nine miles east of Cass Lake, Minnesota. The lake has 4.2 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 25 feet. There is a US Forest Service owned earthen boat access on the channel between Middle Sucker and Upper Sucker lakes. The access is suitable for small…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Upper Sucker Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Upper SuckerFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
25 ft
Surface area
113 acres
Shoreline
4.2 mi
Littoral zone
39%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,296 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Upper Sucker Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Upper Sucker 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Upper Sucker Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Upper Sucker Lake
- → Upper Sucker Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Upper Sucker Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Upper Sucker Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Upper Sucker Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2023–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Upper Sucker Lake
Where is Upper Sucker Lake?
- Upper Sucker 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 Upper Sucker Lake?
- Upper Sucker Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 112.96 acres.
Is Upper Sucker Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Upper Sucker Lake?
- Upper Sucker Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October, from 203 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Upper Sucker Lake?
- Upper Sucker Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 112.96 acres.
What fish are in Upper Sucker Lake?
- Fish species found in Upper Sucker Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Upper Sucker Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Upper Sucker Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 2021 caught 14.50 northern pike per gill net at Upper Sucker Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Sucker Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Upper Sucker Lake?
- Public access to Upper Sucker Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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
78 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX48 samples · 2023–2024 - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA30 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder