Juggler

Juggler Lake is a 410-acre Lake located in northern Becker County. Juggler Lake is within the boundaries of the White Earth Indian Reservation. Nearly all the lake's shoreline is privately owned, but the watershed contains large blocks of forested, county tax-forfeited land. There are approximately 40 homes/cabins on Juggler Lake. There are no significant inlets or outlet. There is a county-owned public access located on the southwest shore. A standard fisheries survey was completed on Juggler Lake on at the end of July 2022 to assess the fish community. Only five Walleyes were caught during the 2022 survey, resulting in the lowest catch rate on record for Juggler Lake (0.7 Walleyes per net). The Walleyes that were sampled were big, ranging from 22.4 inches to 28.1 inches. Catch rates for Northern Pike were slightly higher in 2022 (11.2 per gill net) than in 2017 (10.8 per gill net). This rate is above the lake's historical average. Northern Pike sampled ranged from 13.9 to 38.0 inches, with an average length of 19.3 inches. Catch rates of Bluegill were slightly below the historical average with 12.9 fish per set observed in 2022. Bluegills sampled ranged from 3.1 inches to 9.1 inches, with Bluegills captured having an average length of 7.9 inches. Bluegills eight inches or larger made up 18% of the fish sampled. Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass are present in Juggler Lake. Smallmouth Bass were introduced in 1987 and have thrived with the abundant spawning habitat in the lake. The catch rate of Smallmouth Bass sampled in 2022 gill nets was down slightly to 1.4 per net. These fish ranged from 11.1 to 20.9 inches with an average length of 15.2 inches and an average weight of 2.2 pounds. About 77% of the Smallmouth Bass sampled were over 14 inches. The 2022 gill net catch rate of Largemouth Bass was higher than recent surveys with a catch of 3.9 per net. Largemouth Bass sampled ranged in size from 6.4 to 17.6 inches, with an average length of 12.9 inches. Yellow Perch numbers have increased slightly from recent surveys with 3.3 fish per gill net caught in 2022. These fish averaged 7.3 inches with fish up to 11.0 inches measured. Other species sampled in this assessment include Green Sunfish and Rock Bass.

A Targeted survey was completed on Juggler Lake on August 15th, 2017 to assess the near-shore fish population. This data will be analyzed in conjunction with the gill net and trap net survey completed in 2017 to provide a complete assessment of the fish community that will be used to evaluate the biological condition of Juggler Lake, and contribute to the assessment of the watershed. Sampling gear utilized during this survey targets fish species not commonly sampled by gill nets and trap nets. Ten sites within Juggler Lake were sampled during this survey. Electrofishing was conducted at all 10 sites, and seining was conducted at five sites. Difficult sampling conditions prevented the use of seines at five sites. The near-shore substrate of Juggler Lake contains many areas of dense vegetation, woody habitat, and rocks. Bluegill, Bluntnose Minnow, Central Mudminnow, Green Sunfish, Iowa Darter, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Yellow Perch were sampled during this survey. Iowa Darter is the only species sampled that is intolerant of poor habitat conditions. The results of this survey, combined with results of the gill net and trap net survey done in 2017, indicate that the fish community in Juggler Lake meets expectations for lakes of similar characteristics, and that the lake is not biologically impaired.

Juggler is a 410-acre, class-23 Lake located in northern Becker County. Juggler Lake is within the boundaries of the White Earth Indian Reservation. Nearly all the lake's shoreline is privately owned, but the watershed contains large blocks of forested, county tax-forfeited land. There are approximately 40 homes/cabins on Juggler Lake. The lake is categorized as mesotrophic with a mean trophic state index in the thirties. There are no significant inlets or outlet. The county-owned public access is located on the southwest shore. A standard survey was done on Juggler Lake on 08/07/2017 to assess the fish community. This survey was conducted using nine gill nets and nine trap nets. Also during 2017, the near shore fish community was sampled by seining and electrofishing, emergent vegetation was mapped, and shoreline development was assessed using Score the Shore methods. The detailed results of those surveys are provided in separate reports. Only nine Walleyes were caught during the 2017 assessment, resulting in the lowest catch rate on record for Juggler Lake. Walleyes sampled ranged from 15.1 inches to 28.7 inches, with a mean length of 22.9 inches. Past Walleye stocking in Juggler Lake has consisted of stocking fingerlings and fry, with neither life stage resulting in a consistent population of Walleye. Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass are present in Juggler Lake. Smallmouth were introduced in 1987, and have thrived in Juggler Lake with abundant spawning habitat. Their population is higher than the normal range of lakes of similar characteristics. Smallmouth Bass sampled in 2017 gill nets ranged from 11.2 to 19.8 inches, with a mean length of 16.1 inches and a mean weight of 2.18 pounds. The 2017 trap net catch rate of Largemouth Bass was slightly lower than the normal level for Juggler Lake. Largemouth Bass sampled ranged in size from 5.4 inches to 14.9 inches, with gill nets catching more (and larger) Largemouth Bass than trap nets. The Bluegill population in Juggler Lake was higher than it has been in over 30 years. Bluegills sampled ranged from 3.7 inches to 10.0 inches, with Bluegills captured in trap nets having a mean length of 7.0 inches. Bluegills are commonly sought by anglers, and spawning habitat is abundant. The Northern Pike population is slightly lower than it was in 2012, yet is still above Juggler Lake's normal range, and also the range for similar lakes. Pike sampled ranged from 10.7 inches to 36.7 inches, with a mean length of 19.7 inches. High water levels have provided an abundant amount of spawning habitat for Northern Pike. New Northern Pike regulations take effect in May 2018 that may shift the Pike population towards lower numbers and larger fish. Very few Yellow Perch were sampled during this assessment. The low population is not surprising, due to the abundance of predators such as Northern Pike. Other species sampled in this assessment include Hybrid Sunfish, Rock Bass, and White Sucker. The near-shore fish assessment conducted in 2017 found similar species, but also Bluntnose Minnow, Central Mudminnow, Green Sunfish, and Iowa Darter. Iowa Darter is the only species sampled that is intolerant of poor habitat conditions. Bullheads have not been documented in Juggler Lake, although they were once present in the small basin adjacent to the north end of Juggler Lake. That basin was treated with Rotenone, a chemical that causes fish to die, in 2002 to prevent the possible introduction of bullheads to Juggler Lake due to rising water levels. Fish habitat in Juggler Lake is diverse, with many stands of emergent and floating leaf vegetation. Emergent vegetation was mapped in 2017. The shoreline of Juggler Lake is moderately developed. Score the Shore methods in 2017 found that the average lakewide habitat score was 83.7 (+/- 2.1) out of 100 possible. Approximately 42 percent of the sites were developed with a mean score of 72.5 (+/- 3.7), while undeveloped sites had a mean score of 92.1 (+/- 1.2). The Score the Shore survey was designed to provide a means to quantify and compare lakeshore habitat between lakes. The Juggler Lake shoreline habitat score was higher than the statewide lake score average of 73.6.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Rock Bass in Juggler. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Juggler. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Juggler has a maximum depth of 78 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Juggler is from 2022.

No invasive species are on record for Juggler in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.