Little Sugar Bush

Little Sugar Bush Lake is a 221-acre lake located in central Becker County near the community of Richwood. The lake is located within the White Earth Indian Reservation. The lake is moderately developed and surrounded by hardwood forest, marsh, and agricultural land. Submerged vegetation is common throughout near shore areas. There are several stands of bulrush, water lilies, and cattail located in various areas around the lake. There is an intermittent inlet and outlet located on the 3.6 miles of moderately developed shoreline. Little Sugar Bush Lake has a special regulation for sunfish limiting anglers to keeping five fish per day. A standard fisheries survey was conducted in June 2023 to evaluate the fish population in Little Sugar Bush Lake. Anglers will find a high number of Northern Pike in Little Sugar Bush Lake, however, most of these fish will be on the small side. The average size of the pike sampled was 21.5 inches, but one 38-inch fish was measured. Walleye numbers were slightly below average for the lake, but size was good. Every Walleye sampled in 2023 was over 15 inches and 38% were over 20 inches. Anglers can expect to find good numbers of Bluegills over eight inches. About 32% of the Bluegills sampled in 2023 were over eight inches long and Bluegills over ten inches were measured. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass were captured in low numbers in the nets, which is often the case with this sampling gear. Black Crappie were measured up to 11 inches long and Largemouth Bass were up to 16.5 inches long. Other fish species observed were Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.

Little Sugar Bush is a 221-acre, moderately developed lake located in central Becker County near Richwood, MN. The lake is surrounded by hardwood forest, marsh, and agricultural land. It has an average water clarity of 11.9 feet and a maximum depth of 29.0 feet. Submerged vegetation is common throughout near shore shallow areas. There are several stands of native vegetation such as bulrush, water lilies, and cattail located in various areas around the lake. There is an intermittent inlet and outlet located on the 3.6 miles of shoreline. The 13.7-acre Bullhead Lake Aquatic Management Area (AMA) is located on the eastern shore and a public boat access is located on the south shore. The lake is located within the White Earth Indian Reservation. A standard survey was completed on Little Sugar Bush in June 2018 to assess the fish community. The survey was completed using gill nets and trap nets. The gamefish species targeted by anglers in this lake include Bluegill, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye. Bluegill abundance increased in 2018 and was near the historical high observed in 1987. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.4 to 9.8 inches and averaged 7.0 inches. Bluegills greater than 8.0 inches long were sampled. In order to maintain this balanced population, it is recommended anglers keep smaller Bluegills and release the majority of larger Bluegills. Northern Pike abundance continues to increase and was at a new historic high in 2018. Northern Pike lengths ranged from 17.4 to 34.8 inches and averaged 22.8 inches long. Nineteen percent of the Northern Pike measured were greater than 24.0 inches long. Walleye abundance has increased since the last survey and was above average for this lake. Walleye length averaged 17.2 inches and ranged from 9.8 to 26.7 inches. The Walleye population is sustained by fingerling stocking, since spawning habitat is sparse. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 5.5 to 11.5 inches and averaged 8.3 inches. Black Crappie abundance was typical and within the normal range for lakes such as Little Sugar Bush. Six year classes of Black Crappie were sampled, with the oldest fish being seven years old. Yellow Perch abundance was below average, with perch lengths ranging from 5.5 to 8.0 inches and averaging 6.6 inches. Yellow Perch abundance decreased to a historic low in 2004, but has started to rebound in recent surveys. Yellow Perch are a primary forage for many fish species and may be negatively affected by the high abundance of Northern Pike. Largemouth Bass abundance was modest and near the historical average for this lake. The largest Largemouth Bass measured 18.7 inches. Other species sampled during the survey included Black Bullhead, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Little Sugar Bush is infested with Curly-Leaf Pondweed, a known aquatic invasive species (AIS). Curly-Leaf Pondweed was dense in shallow areas at the time of this survey. Curly-Leaf Pondweed and other AIS can be transferred from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can negatively impact lakes and aquatic communities. To avoid spreading AIS to other waters, please follow the current AIS regulations.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community on Little Sugar Bush Lake was conducted on July 18, 2017 by Fisheries Lake Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) program staff. Sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten stations. A 50-foot seine was used to sample three stations, a 15-foot seine was used at six stations, and abundant emergent vegetation fringe to deep water prevented the use of a seine at one sampling site. Sampling was difficult at several sites due to a substantial fringe of abundant bulrush, water lilies, and wild rice out to deep water. Nearshore sampling captured 14 native species of fish including four species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, and Iowa Darter). Data from this targeted nearshore survey will be combined with data from a standard gill and trap netting survey planned for 2018 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) score that describes the overall health of the lake. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Buffalo River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, and Black Crappie in Little Sugar Bush. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Little Sugar Bush has a maximum depth of 29 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Sugar Bush is from 2023.

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