Sauk Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Walleye, Largemouth Bass
Target species: Northern Pike, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Perch, Black Bullhead
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Sauk Lake, Hwy 71 Public Water Access Site, 2 lanes.
The lake
Sauk Lake covers 2,130 acres in Minnesota, across 2 counties: Stearns and Todd. It is a lake: 90.4% of it is 39 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 60 feet (18.3 m). Our records hold 17 species for this water.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 60 ft (18.3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.4% of the water is 39 feet or shallower. We hold 103 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–3 ft: 9.6% of the water
- 3–6 ft: 15% of the water
- 6–9 ft: 15% of the water
- 9–12 ft: 12.5% of the water
- 12–15 ft: 10.9% of the water
- 15–18 ft: 6.7% of the water
- 18–21 ft: 3.5% of the water
- 21–24 ft: 3.2% of the water
- 24–27 ft: 3.2% of the water
- 27–30 ft: 3.1% of the water
- 30–33 ft: 3.2% of the water
- 33–36 ft: 2.3% of the water
- 36–39 ft: 2.2% of the water
- 39–42 ft: 2.6% of the water
- 42–45 ft: 1.9% of the water
- 45–48 ft: 2.5% of the water
- 48–51 ft: 2.3% of the water
- 51–54 ft: 0.5% of the water
7 target fish, led by Northern Pike
- Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
- Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
- Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
- Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
- White Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
- Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
- Black Bullhead — Feeding water: 70–80°F.
Also recorded here: Shorthead Redhorse, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Cisco, Rock Bass, Pumpkinseed, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp.
Water and conditions
Water clarity runs 2.2–12.4 feet on our readings, averaging 6 feet, from 464 readings. Our water temperature readings average 71°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 51°F and the warmest is 82°F; the warmest monthly average is 76°F. pH averages 8.4. These readings span 2017–2025.
3 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps.
- Sauk Lake, Hwy 71 Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
- Sauk Lake (S) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. On Sauk (Southwest Bay).
- Sauk Lake, Diamond Point Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
Fee and opening hours are blank for all 3 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
What is hard here
Clarity swings from 2.2 to 12.4 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed.
Where this data comes from
- Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: reported depths: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
- Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
