South Center

South Center Lake is an 835 acre lake in southern Chisago County best suited for Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Black Crappie. Although much of the lake is less than 15 feet (561 acres or 67%), the lake has a maximum depth of 109 feet. Water clarity is low, with visibility to only 3 feet. A high amount of shoreline and watershed development is present, that includes 332 lake homes. The lake is a popular fishing and boating destination and receives use from all types of recreational users. The public access is often at capacity. In 2023, a fisheries lake survey was conducted that consisted of night electrofishing for Largemouth Bass on May 16 and gill and trap netting from August 7 to 11 to evaluate the fish population. The previous fish survey on South Center Lake was conducted in 2019. Spring nighttime electrofishing sampled 67 Largemouth Bass. Lakes in the Chisago Chain commonly produce bass electrofishing catch rates in excess of 100 fish per hour. The catch rate of 57 per hour in 2023 compares to 51 per hour in 2019. Bass ranged from 7.8 to 19.9 inches with a 14.3 inch average. The average weight of bass was 1.6 pounds. Bass over 14 inches included 50 percent of the total catch. Aging evaluation identified ten year classes. Anglers should catch good numbers of moderate sized bass. The Northern Pike gill net (0.2/net) and trap net (0.8/net) catch rates were low for the lake and similar area lakes. Pike sampled in gill and trap nets ranged from 18.5 to 34.3 inches. Average weights were 7.3 and 6.1 pounds in gill and trap nets, respectively. Although numbers were low, average size exceeded that of most area lakes. Angler concern over declines in pike quality led to a public meeting for South Center in the fall of 2002. The consensus was to implement a 24 to 36-inch protected slot limit starting in 2003. This regulation remains in place today. The Black Crappie catch rate of 8.4/gill net, was above average compared to similar area lakes. Angling pressure for crappies is heaviest in winter and early spring. Overall crappies ranged from 4.4 to 12.2 inches in trap nets and 5.2 to 9.5 inches in gill nets. Average lengths were 8.0 and 7.4 inches in trap and gill nets, respectively. Twenty-three percent of crappies exceeded 8 inches. Only seven Walleyes were captured during the 2023 survey compared to 48 in 2019. The gill net catch rate decreased from 2.4/net in 2019 to 0.2/net in 2023. Walleye sampled in gill and trap nets ranged from 12.7 to 26.3 inches. Currently, Walleye fingerlings are stocked at a rate of 729 pounds in even years. Yellow Perch gill net catches also remained low, with a catch rate of 2.8 fish per net in both 2023 and 2019. Perch lengths ranged from 5.4 to 7.9 inches, with an average length of 7.1 inches. Perch are a common prey species of Walleyes, and perch catch rates over 8 per gill net are preferred when managing for Walleyes. The Bluegill trap net catch rate was 62.9 per net. Lengths ranged from 0.5 to 7.4 inches and averaged 5.9 inches. Although the average size is small, angler catch rates should be above average and fun for kids. Other species sampled in the 2023 survey include Black Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in South Center Lake was conducted on July 31-August 1, 2023, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites 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 fourteen sampling stations, but five stations were sampled from the boat due soft sediments and dense vegetation. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations. Nearshore sampling captured seventeen species of fish including two species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Iowa Darter and Mimic Shiner) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from an August 2023 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. 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. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Common Carp). 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. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in South Center Lake is adversely impacted by stressors, as indicated by an FIBI score below the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous survey findings, which indicated that South Center Lake is impaired for aquatic life use. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Lower St. Croix River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

South Center Lake is an 835 acre lake located within Center City and Lindstrom and connected to North Center Lake by a navigable channel. South Center is managed for Walleye and Northern Pike, with Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie as secondary species. Angler concern over statewide declines in Northern Pike quality led to calls for additional special regulations in the early 2000's. A public meeting regarding Northern Pike management on South Center took place in the fall of 2002. The consensus was to implement a 24 to 36 inch protected slot limit starting in 2003. The regulation allows the harvest of smaller fish while increasing the lakes potential to grow more of the medium to large fish it historically produced. An ice out trap netting survey was conducted on South Center Lake during the middle of April 2022 to obtain length frequencies of pike in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the protected slot limit. Fifty trap net lifts over a five day period sampled 30 Northern Pike. Pike ranged from 9.2 to 37.0 inches in length in 2022 compared to 20.3 to 31.5 inches in length in 2019. Pike averaged 24.5 inches in length in 2022 compared to 24.7 inches in 2019. Future ice out surveys will be conducted to better understand Northern Pike length frequencies. etention of the current slot limit of 24-36 inches is recommended until the results of further investigations suggest otherwise.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Green Sunfish, Black Crappie, and Walleye in South Center. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

South Center has a maximum depth of 109 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in South Center is from 2023.

Yes — South Center has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.