Sauer

Sauer Lake is a 212-acre, class-31 lake with 39 foot maximum depth located in southern Becker County. Shoreline development is relatively light when compared to other area lakes. A public access with a small wayside rest has been present since 1960. This access, just off state highway 59, is a popular swimming and picnic area as well as a boat launch. Northern Pike abundance in Sauer Lake has increased steadily since 2001. Sampling in 2022 was no exception with gill nets catching almost 17 pike per net. Pike average length was 20.6 inches and the largest pike measured 35.4 inches. Walleye abundance in 2022 was similar to past surveys. Walleye averaged almost 17 inches long with a majority of the fish being three years old. Bluegill abundance was lower than normal in 2022, but average size was high at almost seven-and-a-half inches long. It takes at least eight years for a Bluegill to get to eight inches long in Sauer Lake. Black Crappie abundance was similar to the lake's average, with fish averaging 9.2 inches long. Largemouth Bass were sampled in low numbers with the largest fish measuring 15.3 inches long. Other fish species captured during the survey included Yellow Perch, Black Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Bowfin, and Pumpkinseed.

Sauer Lake is a 212-acre, class-31 lake with 39 foot maximum depth located in southern Becker County. Shoreline development is relatively light when compared to other area lakes. A public access with a small wayside rest has been present since 1960. This access, just off state highway 59, is a popular swimming and picnic area as well as a boat launch. The 2015 gill net catch for Northern Pike (12.5 per set) was slightly above the lake's historical mean (11.7 per set) and also above the upper end of the normal range for similar lakes in the state. The mean length of sampled Northern pike was 21.3 inches and lengths ranged from 12.0 to 32.4 inches. Northern Pike growth rates were similar to statewide averages, but slightly slower than those reported in past Sauer Lake studies. Northern Pike averaged 21.3 inches in length at the end of their fourth growing season. For the first time since the 1995 survey, the Walleye gill net catch rate (3.2 per set) fell below the lake's historical average (4.0 per set), but was still within the normal range for similar lakes in the state. The mean length of sampled Walleyes was 16.2 inches and lengths ranged from 8.1 to 24.5 inches. Walleye growth was similar to that reported in past studies with the average age four Walleye reaching a length of 13.1 inches. Although infrequent naturally-reproduced year classes have been reported in some lake surveys, Walleye abundance in Sauer Lake is maintained primarily by stocking fingerlings in even numbered years. This stocking plan will continue to be evaluated in future surveys, but it appears it has yielded similar results to previous stocking strategies such as heavy fingerling stocking and fry stocking. The mean gill net catch rate for Yellow Perch increased to 22.0 per set. The lake's historical average is 29.0 Yellow Perch per gill net. In 2015, Yellow Perch averaged 5.8 inches in length. Trap net catches of Bluegill (87.4 per set) averaged well above the normal range for similar lakes in the state, but was still near the lake's historical average of 88.5 Bluegills per set. Lengths of sampled Bluegill ranged from 3.4 to 9.1 inches with an average length of 5.8 inches. Bluegills from nine different year classes were found. Bluegill growth rates have declined in successive surveys since 2001 with four-year-old fish reaching an average length of 4.0 inches. Trap nets sampled only a few Largemouth Bass (1.9 per net), but this rate was above the lake's historical average (1.4 per set). Spring electrofishing caught 23 Largemouth Bass that had an average length of 12.8 inches with fish up to 17.4 inches captured. Although the 2008 survey had a record catch of 8.3 Black Crappie per trap net, the 2015 trap net catch was only 0.6 per net. Spring electrofishing, however, yielded 29 Black Crappie that had an average length of 9.9 inches and a range of lengths from 7.8 inches to 11.9 inches. Recruitment of Black Crappie was fairly consistent across the eight year classes sampled. The ratio of Black Bullheads to Yellow Bullheads in a lake is often used as an indicator of water quality. A ratio of two black to one yellow bullhead is common in mesotrophic lakes. Typically, the larger the ratio of black to Yellow Bullheads, the more turbid the water. Trap net catches of Black Bullhead increased from zero in 1995 the new historical high of 38.3 per net in 2008. The catch in 2015 fell dramatically to 0.2 fish per set. The ratio of Black Bullheads to Yellow Bullheads was 0.05. Channel Catfish were first reported in Sauer Lake in the early 1980's, likely due to illegal stocking. Catfish weighing over twenty pounds each were allegedly caught by anglers in 1984 and 1985. Since Channel Catfish appeared to already be established, the DNR subsequently stocked Channel Catfish yearlings in 1986, 1987, and 1989. However, due to the difficulty of finding a suitable source of Channel Catfish, they have not been stocked since 1989. Nonetheless, catfish were captured during surveys in 1990, 1995, 2001, 2008, and one was captured during this survey in 2015. The most recently caught catfish was 24.8 inches long. With continuing shoreline and watershed development, this valuable fishery will need help on several fronts to be sustained. Anglers can help to maintain balance in fish populations by voluntarily releasing a portion of medium and large fish and keeping smaller ones for eating. This is particularly true for Northern Pike and Black Crappie. Shoreline owners and other watershed dwellers can help to maintain or improve water quality and fish habitat by maintaining shoreline buffer zones, by leaving stands of native aquatic vegetation intact, by taking precautions to prevent invasive species introductions, and by using wise land management practices.

Sauer Lake is a 212-acre, southern Becker County lake with a 39 foot maximum depth. Shoreline development is relatively light when compared to other area lakes. Twelve homes or cabins were counted along the shoreline in 2001 compared to two cottages in 1960. Additionally, a public access with a small wayside rest has been constructed since 1960. This access, just off state highway 59, is a popular swimming and picnic area as well as a boat launch. Fish habitat, in the form of bulrush and cattail stands, is abundant around the lake's shoreline. It will require protection as future shoreline development is inevitable. Though most native species of aquatic vegetation can be used by fish for cover, feeding, spawning, and rearing, bulrushes are particularly valuable to the lake's ecology. Bulrushes help to protect shorelines, waterfowl, and water quality in addition to the fish community. Sauer Lake's fish community is similar to that of most area lakes of similar size. Northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, largemouth bass, and black crappie are all part of this community, as well as a more unusual species, the channel catfish. Net catches of northern pike in the lake showed a wide range of sizes up to thirty-inches. This indicates that natural reproduction is good for this species in Sauer Lake and that a few larger fish are still present, although the average pike size is considerably smaller, averaging just under 21.0 inches in length and weighing just over 2.0 pounds. Spawning habitat is also favorable for most of the other species in this lake except walleye and channel catfish. They require substrates and conditions that are not typical of Sauer Lake. However, the forage base has generally been good and stocking of walleye, along with infrequent natural reproduction, has produced fishable numbers of this species. In 2008, walleyes caught in test nets averaged 14.9 inches in length. Nearly half of these walleyes were attributed to the 2004 year class, a fingerling stocking year. They should provide some larger fish in the next few years. Historically, the results of walleye stocking versus walleye natural reproduction in Sauer Lake have been mixed, but generally, stocking of some form is necessary to sustain the walleye fishery in this lake. Yellow perch catches declined substantially. This may be a cause for concern since perch are the primary forage for walleye, northern pike, and largemouth bass in Sauer Lake. However, fish populations are dynamic in all lakes and rivers and this may be only a temporary decline. Future studies will show if predator fish in Sauer Lake are "eating themselves out of house and home." Bluegills and crappies were abundant in 2008. Bluegills averaged 7.0 inches while crappies averaged 8.6 inches. Only two channel catfish were caught in test nets but their presence adds another opportunity for anglers. Some catfish over twenty pounds have been caught in the past. In fact, one happy angler phoned during the summer of 2008 to say that he and his grandson had caught one catfish weighing 15.5 pounds and lost another about the same size. The ratio of black bullheads to yellow bullheads in a lake is often used as an indicator of water quality. A ratio of two black to one yellow bullhead is common in mesotrophic lakes. Typically, the larger the ratio of black to yellow bullheads, the more turbid the water. For the first time in recorded history the ratio of black to yellow bullheads increased to 6:1; well past the 2:1 indicator. This was not entirely consistent with the water clarity reading of 10.0 feet in June, but may also be a temporary, unexplained high point in black bullhead abundances. In summary, fish populations in Sauer Lake are in a constant state of change and are affected by many factors. Watershed land and water management practices, shoreline alterations, riparian land use, vegetation removal, weather patterns, fish stocking, fish removal, fishing pressure, and other factors act together to impact the fish community in the lake. Though shifts in fish populations have occurred during recent years, the basic ecological lake type has remained the same. Sauer Lake's fish community continues to be dominated by the species for which it is best suited; northern pike, bass, and panfish, along with artificially maintained populations of walleye and channel catfish.

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

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

Sauer has a maximum depth of 39 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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